


The Devil You Don't Know

by htbthomas, Mark_C



Category: Spider-Man (Comicverse)
Genre: Adventure, Dubious Consent, Other, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-08-21
Updated: 2006-08-20
Packaged: 2017-10-04 06:39:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/htbthomas/pseuds/htbthomas, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mark_C/pseuds/Mark_C
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicia has finally moved on after Peter. Will the new guy in her life make her happy or turn her life completely upside down? A Spider–Man and Black Cat adventure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> _Summary: _Felicia has finally moved on after Peter. Will the new guy in her life make her happy or turn her life completely upside down? A Spider–Man and Black Cat adventure co-authored with Mark C.

_Summary: _Felicia has finally moved on after Peter. Will the new guy in her life make her happy or turn her life completely upside down? A Spider–Man and Black Cat adventure co-authored with Mark C.

_\- - - - -_

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Encounter

"You know more than you're telling," the Black Cat drawled. Frankie's head hit the brick wall with a satisfying _crack._ Her long, manicured nails pressed harder into the skin of his throat. "Now, be a sweetheart, and spill."

"Okay, okay!" he croaked.

She released her grip on him and stepped back. Her platinum blonde hair shifted slightly in the wind as she watched him with a calculating gaze.

Frankie Munroe wondered how he had found himself on a rooftop, talking to Felicia Hardy. Her low-cut leather outfit was distracting to say the least, but he'd dealt with her before when she needed information on the city's criminal underbelly. Rubbing at his neck, he glanced at her sideways. "You know, a little… incentive… might help me remember better…"

Frankie only had a second's warning. His eyes widened in terror as the woman lifted him, and powered him to the edge of the roof. She wrapped a sinewy arm around his legs, and tilted him over the railing.

He screeched in fright. The change in his pockets spilled out and clattered to the street, a sickening several seconds later.

She cooed, "Oh, honey, you know better, that's not the way I work." She could see the sweat that had beaded on his forehead run lazily into his hairline. She shifted her hold, ever so slightly, and the stoolie jerked an inch closer to the pavement far below.

"Aaa… Aaa! All right! I may have heard that the Maggia were pulling a job on the museum a couple nights ago." He began gasping loudly, face slowly turning a darker shade of red.

"And…?" the Cat encouraged.

"And!" _Gasp._ "There's been some activity down at the docks today!" _Gasp._

"Where exactly?"

_Gasp._ "Pier 52!" His voice raised in pitch as the blood pounded in his head. "That's all I know! I swear!"

She pulled him up and planted his feet firmly back on the concrete. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" She gave him a peck on the cheek, and shot a grappling hook toward the next building over.

Frankie watched the vigilante swing away. "Crazy bitch," he muttered when he was sure she was too far away to hear. He then let the darkness take him as he fainted dead away.

_Two days prior_

It had been a beautiful New York day, the sun as bright as it could be, without a cloud in the sky. Felicia Hardy loved days like this, especially now that her life seemed to be in order once again. _Not too many years ago, I only felt at peace during the black of night, _she mused. She had been in high spirits, spending the day pampering herself by purchasing some clothes and jewelry. With that done, all Felicia wanted to do was spend a nice quiet evening at home. _And a nice, warm bath is just the way to start it off._

As the water slowly rose, filling the tub with fragrant bubbles, the phone rang. _Go figure. It seems like every time I want to take a wonderful relaxing bath, something happens to interrupt it_, she thought, turning off the water to go answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Felicia, this is Cammie Smith_," came the voice on the other end.

"Cammie! It's been a while. What's up?" Wow, she hadn't heard from Cammie since college…

"_I need a favor. I'm sorry to ask, but you're the only one that I know of that could help,"_ Cammie said, a little shakily.

"I'll try, Cammie. What's the matter?"

_"Something happened… I would prefer telling you in person."_

"Okay, can you meet me at the Coffee Bean in about 45 minutes?"

"_That shouldn't be a problem, Felicia."_

"Good. See you there," Felicia replied and then hung up the phone. _Well, I guess that takes care of my bath_. She wondered what was the matter, and why Cammie would need her help.

It wasn't long after their conversation that Felicia was able to make it over to the Coffee Bean. Finding a booth with a good view of the door, Felicia waited for Cammie to arrive. Soon after ordering a cup of coffee, she noticed that Cammie had made it and waved her over.

"Hi, Cammie," Felicia greeted her friend, while motioning for a waitress.

"Felicia, it's good to see you again. I wish it were under better circumstances," replied Cammie as she settled nervously into her seat.

"So, what's going on? And what can I do to help?"

Before answering Felicia's question, Cammie ordered her coffee from the waitress. After the woman had left, she began, "I was just promoted to assistant curator at the Asia Society and Museum. They put me in charge of an exhibit focusing on feudal Japan. It will showcase several rare and priceless katanas, as well as Samurai armor."

"Congratulations, Cammie."

"Thanks. But something happened the other day that could jeopardize the museum's reputation and cost it thousands of dollars."

"What happened?"

"A priceless ivory-handled katana was stolen from the exhibit two days ago. It's on loan from a museum in Japan, and was supposed to make its way to other museums throughout the country," Cammie said worriedly. She took out a picture of the katana and showed it to Felicia.

"Nice looking sword. What makes it so special?" Felicia asked, marveling over the katana's picture.

"The katana is hundreds of years old, and it has a unique handle that is made out of ivory in the shape of a dragon's head. Those two characteristics together make the katana priceless."

"I take it that you want me to get it back for the museum?"

"I am hoping so. It would mean a lot to the museum… and to me… for the katana to be recovered. I was very fortunate to hear that you were in town and I could really use your skills on this. What do you say, Felicia?" Cammie asked, a pleading tone to her voice.

Felicia looked first at the photo of the sword, and then her friend's face. She had little trouble making a decision.

"Okay, I'll do it. I have a few sources I can contact to try to get some leads. Is it all right if I keep this picture?"

"Sure." Cammie looked relieved.

"Good. I'll get right on it and I'll keep you informed of my progress."

"Thanks a lot, Felicia."

"What are friends for?"

_Present Time_

As the Black Cat made her way through the valleys and rooftops of the city, she had only one thing on her mind:_ Frankie's information had better be right – or he'll wish _this_ cat had never crossed his path._ Reaching Pier 52 in no time at all, Cat began looking about to catch a glimpse of the missing katana and/or the person(s) responsible for taking it.

_Well, well, well. There sure is a lot of activity down at the old pier tonight and it's all centered around this warehouse_, Black Cat said to herself as she focused her attention on the warehouse.

It wasn't going to be easy to get inside, and the Black Cat knew it. Since there was no way to get in through the proverbial 'front door', Cat looked around the building to see if there was a window or some kind of rear entrance. Luck was definitely on her side. She spied a window that was far enough away from all the activity. Very carefully, she launched her grappling hook so that she wouldn't attract attention to herself, and proceeded to climb up to the window.

"Damn it!" Black Cat whispered, discovering the window was locked. "Well, I can remedy that situation rather easily."

With a flick of the wrist, Cat extended her razor sharp claws on her right glove, and began to cut a circular hole in the window next to the lock. In no time at all, the hole was finished and the lock was opened. Silently, the Black Cat opened the window and slipped inside.

Staying to the catwalks as silently as her namesake, Cat made her way around the warehouse in hopes of finding the rare katana. After several minutes stealthily roaming around on the catwalks, she finally spotted the item that she was looking for.

The katana was on a table with its scabbard next to it. The only problem was that there were four men guarding the sword.

_Time for a little distraction_, the Black Cat thought hurriedly. Searching the catwalk, she found a couple of pieces of scrap wood. _This should do the trick, I hope_. Black Cat tossed the wood scraps… _crack! _All four men turned toward the sound.

"Youse two guys go check that out," one of the four ordered.

"Sure thing, boss."

Two burly men went in search of what caused the noise they had just heard.

The Black Cat dropped down from above. "Good evening, boys," she announced, kicking both men in the chest.

Not giving them a chance to fight back, Cat gave them each a roundhouse kick, knocking them out. Looking around quickly, she noticed a storage closet. Inside were a few odds and ends and… some rope! She hogtied her two less-than-worthy adversaries in the closet with relative ease.

"Two down, two to go."

Firing her grappling hook and ascending to the catwalk once more, Cat made her way back to where the katana was being held. _Now it was time to deal with the two remaining gentlemen_, she reckoned.

"If it worked the first time…"

Black Cat pounced on the unsuspecting goons, delivering two swift kicks and an upper cut to each.

"I think you two should have a meeting of the minds," Black Cat told them, smacking both of their heads together and knocking them out cold.

Black Cat tied both of them up with their belts to make sure that they wouldn't be discovered until she was long gone. She went over to the katana, placed it in its scabbard and prepared to take her leave.

"Look over there!" a voice shouted. "The Black Cat has the sword, get her!"

"Son of a…" she muttered. "I'd better get the hell out of here before this cat loses a few of her nine lives."

A bullet _zinged _close by. She whirled around in time to see five or six men coming after her. Making sure that the katana was secured to her back, Black Cat fired her grappling hook and brought herself up past the catwalk, so she could hightail it out of there.

_It's times like these that I wish I had a spider-sense,_ Cat thought as she tried to avoid the oncoming gunfire._ It would really come in handy about__ now._

She looked toward the window she had used to enter the place. _Too far away!_ She raced along the catwalks, barely keeping ahead of the gunfire. On the ground level, she saw a heavy concrete slab, tilted against the wall, surrounded by heavy crates. She leaped the distance to the ground, and slid under the slab. With any luck, the gunmen did not see exactly where she was hiding.

Felicia tried to think. _Damn! If I only still had those bad luck powers! They might actually do me some good here…_

The gunshots were getting closer and closer to their target, crumbling the edges of the makeshift barricade she was hidden behind. She wasn't sure how long it would hold.

A gentle touch on her shoulder made her jump, and she spun rapidly, ready to meet the new threat. A man crouched a few feet away. _Where had _he _come from_? He moved a little farther from her, lifting his hands in entreaty. "Whoa! I don't mean you any harm," he whispered.

She looked him over, warily. He had jet-black hair, a black eye-mask, and a muscular frame. Although it was difficult to tell in the poor light, he seemed to also be wearing a black outfit… a jumpsuit, perhaps? But she had never seen him before in her life. "Who are you?" she said flatly.

The gunfire continued all around them, as the hired goons searched for her relentlessly. "Of course, she doesn't know you…" he muttered to himself. "I'm just starting out – but I was hoping my reputation was growing, at least a little," he added in a louder voice, a little sheepishly. "My name's Paul. I think they're calling me the Dark Crusader or something…"

Felicia wasn't buying any of it. She cut right through his chatter. "What do you want?" she hissed.

He grimaced. "I was in the area, and I heard gunshots. It looked like you could use some help."

A shot pierced the barricade, showering chunks of concrete into Cat's hair. "I just need a way out of here." She gave him an appraising look. "Are you also known as the Human Shield?" she said wryly. All she needed was some rookie 'superhero' coming in here, trying to impress her…

His face took on a determined cast. "I'll see what I can do." With that, he slid around the edge of the wall, into the line of fire.

"Wait!" she called out. The gunfire increased tenfold, as the gunmen finally had a real target to aim at. Within seconds, the fire ceased. She heard shouts of astonishment and pain… and then silence.

Felicia carefully peeked from behind the barrier. 'Paul,' the Dark Crusader, stood over the unconscious bodies of several thugs. He seemed completely unharmed. She readjusted the katana on her shoulder, brushed the grit from her clothing and hair, and came to stand beside him, surprised. "How…?"

He turned to Felicia, smiled and winked. "Trade secret."

She hated to admit it – she was impressed. But not just any man could swing into her life and try to win her over… those days were long past. She opened her mouth to speak, to try to let him down easy…

In a flash, he was already at the opened window she had used to get in, nodding in farewell. "Bye-bye, kitty cat. See you around." With those words, he gracefully leaped up to grab the windowsill, and slithered through.

A small smile played at her lips. "Maybe we will…"

* * *

**A/N: This story is largely inspired by the events of Marvel Knights Spider-Man #1-12, but is based in current continuity, pre-Civil War. However, no prior knowledge is required!**

**Bucketloads of thanks go out to Georgia Kennedy, our meticulous proofreader, Jenn1, our muse, and hazelle, our 'reaction-girl.' Without them, this tale wouldn't be half of what it is. **

**For those of you who _hate_ to begin reading a story and never see it finish, this fic is already 80-90 percent 'in the can.' We will update once a week until completion.**

**Now, go ahead, review - constructive criticism is always appreciated, but no flames, please.**


	2. Despair and Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Devil You Don't Know

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 2: Despair and Hope

_What am I going to do?_ Peter thought as he walked by store after store. _I have to get MJ something amazing for our anniversary, but I don't have a clue as to what to get for her_. It had been a stroke of luck that Mary Jane had wanted to do some shopping that day, so Peter had tagged along. Not just to keep his lovely wife company, but also to find the perfect gift.

Peter went inside a jewelry store to take a look around and see if there was anything that would catch his eye… and be within his price range. Now that he, MJ and Aunt May were living in Stark Tower, money wasn't as tight as it once was. There were so many items to choose from, which made finding the right one that much harder.

"Can I help you with anything, sir?" one of the store clerks asked politely.

"Just looking, thanks." Peter replied. I'll let you know if I've found something." He scanned display cases full of rings and earrings, but couldn't find anything that he thought would catch Mary Jane's fancy. _MJ doesn't wear much more on her hand than her wedding band anyway_. There were several necklaces on display, but they didn't show much promise either… then he saw an oddly shaped locket. Taking a closer look at it, Peter smiled slightly. The locket appeared to be in the shape of a spider.

_MJ would get a kick out of this. It looks so much like one of my spider tracers…_ Peter thought, turning the locket over in his hands.

"That's a nice little trinket you have there…" A hand reached across his field of vision.

Purely by instinct, Peter grabbed the person by the arm, twisting around to wrap them in a vise-like grip. He lifted his eyes to see who had triggered such a swift reaction… "Felicia?"

"Nice to see you, too, Peter," Felicia sarcastically replied.

He let her go sheepishly, noticing that everyone in the store was staring at them. Putting the locket back, he and Felicia made a hasty retreat from the jewelry store.

Felicia turned to face Peter. "That was _some_ greeting you gave me back there. What was that for?"

He rubbed a hand through his hair in embarrassment. "I'm sorry about that. I'm just starting to get used to the changes in my powers."

"Changes in your powers? What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"It's a long story. We can talk about it over some coffee." He nodded toward the café across the street.

Sitting comfortably at an umbrella-covered table, well out of earshot of the other patrons, Peter told Felicia everything…how he thought he was dying, the return of his enemy Morlun, Morlun's defeat, his subsequent 'death' and rebirth.

"A few days after I came out of the cocoon, I discovered I had these 'stingers'..." Felicia looked at him curiously. "Yeah, I know. Show you sometime, okay?" She nodded, understanding that a coffee shop was not the best venue for that. "I also have increased eyesight, kind of like infrared vision, and a much more sensitive spider-sense." He grinned guiltily. "That's why I grabbed you like that in the jewelry store."

"I heard a little about what happened… I'm glad that you're all right," Felicia said, still seeming a bit shocked at what Peter had told her while she held his hand. He wasn't sure what to think of the gesture, but he didn't shy away from it.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. If I had to go through something like that, at least I didn't go through it alone," Peter replied, giving Felicia's hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go.

"So, onto a cheerier topic. What were you doing in the jewelry store?"

"I was just looking around to see if I could find a wonderful anniversary gift for Mary Jane. I haven't had any luck so far." He looked at her hopefully. "I'm open to suggestions."

Was it his imagination, or did she look a little… hurt? Felicia turned her head to stare distractedly down the street. "Did you ever think about taking her on a trip to, say, Hawaii or the Caribbean?"

"Sounds good, but it might be a little out of my price range."

Felicia's eyes softened as she turned back to him. "I might be able to help you with that if you want. And what about your new job with the Avengers? Surely there have to be some perks…" Felicia said very quietly, especially the part about the Avengers.

"Not as many as you'd think… Let me get back to you. I was just using this time to look around, since Mary Jane needed to get a few things."

"Oh," Felicia replied, her tone conveying a little disappointment. Her attention seemed to be drawn over Peter's shoulder. She quickly composed her face into a pleasant mask as Peter felt the slight buzzing of a person approaching from behind…

"Peter, there you are. I've been looking all over for you and I was wondering where…" Mary Jane said with surprise as she saw Peter with Felicia.

"I just happened to run into Felicia, and decided that we needed to catch up."

"I see." MJ's eyes seemed to flash with annoyance.

"Well, just don't stand there, join us."

Peter grabbed Mary Jane's hand and brought her down next to him. Mary Jane gave a little yelp from the rough landing. She swatted Peter playfully, and they shared a laugh.

Mary Jane placed his hand deliberately into her lap before asking, "How are you, Felicia?" Peter noticed that the tone in MJ's voice was not overly pleasant.

"Can't complain." Felicia smiled politely, pointedly _not_ looking at their clasped hands.

Over the next few minutes, Mary Jane and Felicia talked about this and that. As they were talking, Peter began to notice the tension forming between the two women. _I smell trouble brewing and I don't need my spider-sense to tell me that this could get dangerous_, Peter thought as he continued to watch his wife and ex-girlfriend talking.

Peter rose suddenly from his seat. "Well, will you look at the time? If you have everything you need, MJ, I think it's time to head on out," he prompted.

"Uh huh, I got everything I need right here," Mary Jane replied, snuggling up to Peter as she too got up from her seat.

"Take it easy, Felicia – and don't be a stranger, you hear?" Peter called, as he grabbed Mary Jane's hand and led her away.

"I won't, I promise. See you later, guys," came Felicia's overly cheery reply.

* * *

Felicia glided from building to building, her silvery hair blending into the slight shimmer of the moonlight. The moon was waning, now only a small crescent. She paused on the ledge of a building. The sliver in the black sky seemed a little like her heart these days. It was still there… trying to shine through. She hoped that it would wax full again someday…

Another painful jab, just like the ones she had been feeling all evening long, hit her deep inside her chest. She thought she had finally stopped flagellating herself over her long-ruined relationship with Peter. _If only I hadn't been so immature… so shallow… back then. I couldn't see Peter for anything more than the boring scientist behind the mask. All I wanted was the excitement of swinging through the city with him…_ When she saw Mary Jane with Peter today, the two of them so clearly still very much in love, she had been reminded again of how much she had lost. _That could have been us… that could have been _me _with that smile on her face…_

Felicia didn't fault Mary Jane for her behavior today. _If there was another woman in my husband's life, especially one he had been involved with, I don't think I would have been half as polite._ _But I guess Mary Jane knows that Peter would never even _look_ at another woman._

She shook her head forcefully and relaunched the grappling hook. _No sense dredging up the past, Felicia. You came out here to clear your head, not confuse yourself…_ Swinging through the city on patrol always lifted her spirits. Suddenly, a few blocks away, she heard a woman scream. She turned sharply toward the sound. As she neared the alley where a struggle was taking place, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a dark figure bounding between buildings. _Friend or foe?_ she wondered as she reached the ledge, and peered down into the alley. The mystery figure, a man she was now sure, had gone down there and had somehow pulled the victim to safety. The woman, terrified, cowered in the shadows as Felicia counted five advancing on her rescuer.

"Who are you, punk?" one of the attackers threw out contemptuously. "Some sort of ninja wannabe?" His buddies, a few paces back, chuckled in amusement.

"I'm the last face you'll see before the gates of Hell welcome you in," the vigilante shot back in a smooth voice. As he did so, his face turned just enough so that the dim streetlight illuminated it. _Paul? Again? What are the odds…_ She couldn't remember exactly what he had said he was calling himself – Dark Masquerader or something…

"Oh, I think Hell will have to wait a little while longer for me." The criminal pulled out a handgun. "You, on the other hand…" He fired several shots directly into Paul's chest. Felicia stifled a gasp. The woman behind him yelped and pulled herself into a tighter ball.

Paul stood impassive for several moments. He then shifted his shoulders left and right, as if he were adjusting a piece of clothing to get rid of an itch. The bullets clattered to the pavement at his feet.

"Oh, f#&amp;…" the gunman managed to utter, before Paul's hand tightened around his throat. His pals took off running in several directions, swearing gruffly.

The Black Cat tossed a line down the wall, and slid noiselessly down it, landing lightly. Still grasping the criminal in a powerful grip, Paul turned toward the slight sound. "Cat," he said in recognition. "What are you doing here?" He squeezed a little tighter, causing the man to pass out. Paul let him fall unceremoniously to the asphalt.

"You looked like you could use some help," she told him teasingly, echoing his comments the first time they had met. She nodded down the street to the left, indicating she'd round up the ones who had gone that way. Without waiting for acknowledgement, she pelted down the street. She was in luck. Only two of them had gone this way, and they were fighting to get into an old Mustang.

Releasing a rope at her waist, the Black Cat tossed it with a practiced motion. A loop slipped over one of the muggers' torsos, and she tightened it sharply. He flew backward, landing on his rear with a grunt. By this time, she was close enough to deliver a flying kick to his comrade. Her black boots connected with the second man's temple. He crumpled beside the front wheels of the car.

She slinked over to the first man, crouched before him and leaned in close, fully aware of the effect she would have on him. "Are you going to be a good boy?" She brought her hand close to his face as if to caress it, but then released the claws in her gloves. He flinched, perspiration breaking out on his brow. "Or am I going to have to get rough? You know how cats like to play with their food…" She suddenly smelled the sharp tang of urine, as the man lost control of his bodily functions.

Paul's voice broke into her commentary. "That's enough, don't you think?"

She looked up. He stood before her, one assailant over each shoulder. His voice had been harsh, but his expression was one of respect. She nodded curtly and stood up, hand on one hip. She gave him a look full of attitude, that conveyed, _What's it to you if it isn't?_

Paul dumped the bodies of the unconscious thugs beside the car and addressed the one still awake. "Once you're in jail, you can tell your friends not to mess with the Dark Crusader." He hauled the guy up from the ground and menaced, "Or you'll be seeing worse than the inside of a jail cell." His black-gloved fist smashed down on the top of the man's head, knocking him out.

Paul turned to Felicia, with a completely different, almost humble expression on his face, as if a mask had dropped away. Now that she had a little more time to study him, she saw that his eyes were deep brown, almost black. He wasn't as young as she had first thought, either… maybe in his mid-thirties, but in excellent condition… he was about a foot taller than she was. The Dark Crusader looked almost uncomfortable at her appraising stare.

"Uh… thanks for the assist, Cat."

"No problem, Crusader. It was my turn. Is the woman all right?"

"Yes, she wasn't hurt. She was able to get to her car safely."

They stood in awkward silence for a few moments. "Well," he finally began. "I'd better call this in." He turned to leave. "We should do this more often," he called over his shoulder.

"Sure," she agreed, and watched him start down the street. He pulled a cell phone out of his costume.

As she watched him go, her mind flashed back to the first time she had tussled with Spider-Man. As foolish as it seemed now, she had grabbed him, pulled up his mask, and given him a deep kiss before traipsing away. That memory juxtaposed against the vision of Peter and Mary Jane together made her call out to Paul, a little recklessly… "Maybe we should…"

He turned back around, hand poised to punch in the digits. "What…?"

She blushed like a schoolgirl before continuing. "…Do this more often." She idly tucked a stray lock of platinum hair behind her ear. "We make a pretty good team."

He smiled self-consciously. "Do you mean like a 'crime-fighting' date?"

"Yeah." She tilted her head down, and looked up at him through long, black lashes.

"I'd like that, Cat." He paused in thought. "Why don't we meet here tomorrow night? Same time?"

"All right. See you then."

He smiled again. Then he jumped directly upward, and, an instant later, was over the rooftop and out of sight.

"It's a date," Felicia said to herself. Maybe her love life wasn't as hopeless as she thought. She hummed softly while she waited for the police sirens to draw near.

**A/N: Hey, everybody, thanks so much for the reviews - Spidey fans are the best in the world! We hope that you will enjoy the rest of the story... and let us know, okay? ;)**


	3. Three's A Crowd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Thanks everyone for the amazing reviews. We love you all - hope you enjoy the next installment.**

**A/N: Thanks everyone for the amazing reviews. We love you all - hope you enjoy the next installment.**

* * *

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 3: Three's A Crowd

The following night, Cat and Crusader patrolled the city streets as if they had been working together for months, or even years. _This is definitely something that I could get used to_, Black Cat thought. Several minutes into their patrol, they heard a deafening _BOOM_.

"What the hell was that?" Black Cat asked.

"Some type of explosion…over there!" the Dark Crusader exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the blast.

Off in the distance, they could see smoke and flame rising into the air. Within moments, the two heroes were on a rooftop across from the smoldering ruins of a bank.

"I haven't seen anything like this in a long time," Cat observed dryly as she surveyed the scene.

"Me neither. I wonder what's so special about this particular bank?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" Black Cat purred, motioning for him to follow her as she slid down to the street.

Far in the distance, they could hear sirens from both the NYFD and the NYPD. But New York's finest were much too far away to be of help.

At the newly created entrance, Cat felt the intense heat left over from the explosion. She stepped inside carefully. Suddenly, she realized that Crusader was no longer next to her. Turning around, she saw him standing just on the other side of the entrance. After a look of intense puzzlement, he quickly pushed through. He seemed to… _recoil_… at the heat, and stumbled to the debris-strewn floor.

"Hey, are you all right?" Black Cat asked with concern as she helped him up.

Shaking off whatever had affected him, the Crusader replied, "I'm fine, kitty cat. Let's go get the thieves before they get out of here."

They carefully searched through the mess the robbers had made. The two of them picked their way over to where the vault was, or rather, what was left of it. Fortunately though, luck was on their side. Cat peered cautiously around a devastated pillar. She could see six men, all wearing ski masks. Two stood guard, guns strapped on, while the others emptied drawers full of loot into their bags.

"How are we going to handle this, Cat?" the Dark Crusader asked in a quiet voice.

She began, "I was thinking that we could…" but the Black Cat quickly went silent when she saw one of the robbers pull a couple of the guys off to the side. She motioned for her partner to stay quiet.

"Jack, Taylor," the one who seemed to be in charge said in a business-like manner, "I want the two of you to go get the truck ready. We're almost done in here. We got the old man's diamonds out of the safety deposit box, and a lot more besides." He laughed triumphantly. "Take what you can out with ya, and we'll get the rest so that we can get out of here ASAP."

"Sure thing, boss." Taylor and Jack picked up a couple of bags each, and left the vault.

The two heroes moved away from the vault as quickly as they could, to avoid discovery. The Dark Crusader signaled to the Black Cat – she would take the two leaving and he would take care of the others still in the vault. With a nod of her head, Cat followed the two guys outside and overheard them talking.

"You know, Taylor, this is like stealing candy from a baby… but a lot more rewarding," Jack said, as he put his 'share' of the loot into the back of a truck.

"Ya got that right," Taylor replied, adding his load.

They got into the truck and started the engine. Felicia, using her cat-like agility, got on the roof of the truck – much to the surprise of the two occupants.

"What the hell was that?" Taylor asked.

"No clue. But whatever it is," Jack's voice turned menacing, "it won't be there much longer." He cocked his gun with a loud _click_.

As he exited the truck, Jack was met with two well-placed feet to his jaw, courtesy of the Black Cat. Landing on her feet, she got into a battle stance, ready to fight again, but her opponent lay still on the pavement, unconscious.

Tying him up quickly, Cat went to take care of the other bruiser, but was too late. Her arms were suddenly wrenched behind her, secured tightly behind her back. Taylor's gruff voice threatened, close to her ear, "What did you do to my buddy, lady? You better talk if you know what's good for ya."

A wicked smile spread across her face. "…something like this…" The Black Cat mule-kicked her captor in the groin. He groaned, and lost his grip on her. Cat then followed that up with a roundhouse kick, and a couple of punches to knock the guy out.

Tying the hood called Taylor to his pal, the Black Cat dragged their sorry carcasses over to the hole in the wall of the bank. The two goons moaned slightly at her rough handling. "You two stay here," she growled unrepentantly. "I'll go see how my friend is doing with your buddies – who will probably be joining you shortly." Inside, the Dark Crusader had everything well in hand. He had the others all tied up and ready for the police to take them away.

Cat surveyed his handiwork, pleasantly surprised. "I thought I would have to help you round up the others, but I guess I don't have to."

"These guys weren't so tough." He winked. "Besides, I knew I could take them."

Placing the thugs together and retrieving the cash from the getaway truck took only moments. The police would be able to deal with both when they arrived. As they began to leave the bank, the Dark Crusader stiffened beside her.

She turned to him questioningly. "Hey, what's…?"

"Watch out, Cat!" Crusader called out urgently. He grasped her around the waist and leaped out of the way just as the gas line _exploded_ with a flash of light and energy. They landed on the ledge of the building next door.

The Dark Crusader gently released her, and she brushed debris from her costume brusquely. It was always a pain to clean the leather… She could hear the sirens of the approaching police cars. It looked like the authorities could take it from here.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

The Black Cat grimaced and looked up into his face, only inches away. His expression was worried, but had a touch of something… indefinable. "I'm fine. Thanks for getting me out of the way. You have quick reflexes."

He reached out tentatively, to brush a piece of stray hair out of her face. "It was my pleasure." He smiled enigmatically.

His gentle, personal touch caused a small shiver to run down her spine. She looked back up at him, eyes locked on his. _What a handsome devil he is,_ she thought idly, as their lips began to draw close…

Suddenly, he broke away from her, reddening. "I want to show you something," he said, taking her hand. He led her to the edge of the roof and nodded toward the empty chasm between the building and the next. "I would suggest that we go together, but I think you have your own ways of getting around that are different from mine. Do you mind following?"

She shook her head, intrigued. He smiled briefly, happily, and leaped from the edge. As he sprang ahead, she easily kept pace with her grappling hook. His strength and grace were beautiful to see. At several points along the way, he seemed to blend into the shadows, but always came back into sight.

As they approached the downtown area, they started to travel closer to street level. _Why isn't he staying to the rooftops? _she wondered. _When I'm in costume, I'd rather avoid the spotlight._

She looked into the distance, trying to figure out where they were headed. He seemed to be making a beeline for… _No, I can't believe it…_

With a gasp from the tourists strolling along 34th Street, the Dark Crusader touched down on the sidewalk in front of the Empire State Building. She joined him a few moments later. "So I suppose we're going to buy a ticket to the observatory?" she asked sarcastically, as she gestured dramatically to their outfits.

He leaned close so that only she could hear. "We're not buying a ticket…" And before she could react, he had taken her by the waist and was propelling them up the side of the building. He didn't use any sort of grappling hook, or claws. He just seemed to be able to cling to the surface with well-placed handholds. In minutes, he was placing her above the metal grill of the 86th floor observatory.

A voice drifted up from below. "No, honey, I don't care _who_ they are – they should buy a ticket just like everyone else."

The two of them grinned guiltily at each other, and then turned to look at the twinkling lights of New York City. For several minutes, they sat unspeaking. Felicia had seen this many times before, but somehow, she was seeing it with new eyes tonight.

He broke the silence. "You know, I haven't been at this long… how do you deal with it?"

"Deal with what?"

"The constant fear that you'll mess up, that someone will get hurt… or worse, killed… because of something you could have done."

"I don't think you really do," she said, and then chuckled. "You sound like one of my ex-boyfriends."

"Who…?" he started to say. Then, "Really? I never would have guessed…"

_I shouldn't be surprised, _she thought ruefully. It was common knowledge that Spider-Man and the Black Cat had been a couple. Even years later, people _still_ thought they were together.

Paul continued, "He just seems so confident and sure of himself. Always cracking jokes when it seems that the situation is hopeless…" He started back-pedaling immediately. "At least, that's the way the stories go. We_ are_ talking about… you know…"

"Yes. Spider-Man," she finished magnanimously.

"Wow. The guy's a legend. He has doubts, too?"

She reached for his hand to squeeze it. "We _all_ do, sweetie."

"Huh." Crusader exhaled. As she started to remove her hand, he squeezed back, and held it tighter. "Actually, I thought about bringing a picnic up here, but it sounded too clichéd." He turned to her hopefully. "Are you enjoying this?"

"Oh, yeah. It's always pleasant to come up here when the weather's nice. Thank you." She gave him an encouraging smile.

They stared at each other for a long moment, holding hands. _He's just what I've been looking for… why am I so shy all of a sudden?_

"Just kiss her already!" a female voice called from below. They broke apart, embarrassed.

"Don't encourage them, Kirsten. All we need is more so-called _superheroes_ running around this town…"

Offended, Felicia looked down at the man who had said that. Before she could retort, they both heard the sound of sirens in the distance. A squadron of police cruisers was racing toward something big.

"It was nice while it lasted, huh?" He rose and prepared to spring. "Meet you there?"

She nodded, and watched him drop. But before she joined him, she couldn't resist calling down to the peanut gallery below. "Hey, honey. He's too old for you – I don't care _how_ many pretty things he buys you…" She winked, and leapt away.

\- - - - -

"What a beautiful night to go webslinging," Spider-Man thought aloud while soaring the streets of New York. He had on the new armored suit Tony Stark had designed, but had altered it to look like his good old red and blues. _I can't believe how much this suit can do…_ Off in the distance, the sound of sirens brought his fun-loving swing through the canyons of the city to a screeching halt. "When will I learn to keep my mouth shut? Better go check this out and see if I can lend a web-covered hand." He swung off into the direction of the sirens.

In no time at all, Spider-Man was at the place of the disturbance. He could tell from a distance that there were two other superheroes there already. With one mighty swing, he landed just above the pair on a wall and greeted, "Hello there, kiddies, what's all the…" He was startled to see just who was helping out. "…Cat?"

"Spider? What are you doing here?" Black Cat said with surprise at seeing Spider-Man.

"Probably the same thing that you are…" Spider-Man then took a glance at the guy with the Black Cat. _Black jumpsuit, black eye-mask, relatively muscular and not too young... who was this guy?_ "Who's the 'dark knight' with you?" Spider-Man asked, noticing idly all of the cops milling about down on the street below. The danger seemed to have passed, whatever it had been.

The Crusader looked uncomfortable at Spider-Man's presence. "It looks like everything is being handled by the police. I'll see you later, Cat," the other hero said, and then left in a hurry, bounding from rooftop to rooftop.

As he left, Spider-Man watched him go. _Something seems strange about him…_ "Was it something I said?" Spider-Man quipped.

Felicia turned an annoyed glare on him, and then sighed. "I doubt it. I'll ask him the next time I see him."

"Who_ is_ he anyway?"

"My, aren't we full of questions this evening?" she replied, giving him a look as if to say, _and what business of yours is it anyway?_

Spider-Man merely shrugged it off.

After a few moments, Felicia reluctantly gave in. "All right. He's called the Dark Crusader. We met a few days ago, and we've already helped each other out a couple times. In fact, you just interrupted our first 'date.'"

"Really?"

"Yes. You and I used to patrol together when _we_ were dating, what's so strange about that?"

"I dunno. He might be a nice guy… but the costume could use some work. And that _name_, it sounds like he's infringing on another guy's moniker…"

"Lay off, Spider."

His tone turned more serious. "But there's something about him that reminds me of someone, and I just can't place it." He shook his head when nothing specific came to mind. "Just don't get too heavily involved with him, okay?" he warned.

"What does it matter to you? Did you sense any danger from him?"

His spider-sense had not tingled at all in the Crusader's presence. "No, but…"

"Then let me live my life how I see fit, Spider," she demanded harshly. "See you around." The Black Cat launched her grappling hook, and swung off.

_You really put your foot in your mouth that time, webhead_, Peter thought with chagrin_. What does it matter to _me_, Cat? You matter to me more than you realize. _Even though their romance had been over for years, he still felt very protective of her, like an older brother would._ One thing's for sure, I will be keeping an eye on your friend._

Spider-Man spun a web strand and headed back to Stark Tower. He needed a good night's rest for a change… _and_ he needed to think about this 'Dark Crusader.'


	4. In The Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Devil You Don't Know

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 4: In the Shadows

"It's nice to get out and about every once and a while." Peter remarked, as he walked the streets of New York with Mary Jane and Aunt May. He smiled at his companions fondly. "Especially in the company of two lovely ladies."

"You've got that right, Tiger," Mary Jane replied, squeezing Peter's hand affectionately.

May nodded in agreement, but disappointment tinged her voice. "I wish Edwin would've been able to come along with us."

Peter gave his aunt a slight embrace as they continued their stroll. "Aunt May, Jarvis has a lot of responsibilities and today just happened to be a busy day for him. Maybe next time he can join us." He had barely finished speaking when suddenly the world around him slowed to a snail's pace.

"What is it, Peter?" Mary Jane asked, knowing all too well that trouble was about to arrive.

"My spider-sense just started tingling… I wonder what set…" A loud rumble interrupted Peter's thought. As they looked in the direction that the noise came from, their eyes widened in horror as they watched part of a nearby building collapse.

Peter had already shifted into action mode. "MJ, you and Aunt May call the police right away," he ordered as he sprinted toward a nearby alley. He quickly changed into his new costume and hurried over to the scene of the disaster.

Spider-Man arrived just as a few people were slowly making there way out of the ruined structure. "Anybody still inside?" he frantically yelled at the first person he met. The man shrugged his shoulders as he coughed and gasped for air.

Just as he was giving the lucky escapee a nod, he heard a newly familiar voice call out from behind. "Hey! Need a hand?"

It was the Dark Crusader. _What is he doing here? _Spider-Man thought, wondering whether this guy was trying to horn in on his franchise._ And where the heck is the Black Cat?_ "Sure – the more the merrier." The two heroes went inside.

It was pitch black inside. Luckily for Spider-Man, that was no longer a problem. One of his new abilities allowed him to see in the extreme dark "Let's split up," he told his new partner. "We'll cover more ground and do it a lot faster." Dark Crusader assented with a quick nod.

As he carefully made his way down the wall, Spider-Man heard a faint call for help.

"Don't panic!" he shouted. "We're almost there!"

Unfortunately, the corridor ahead of him was blocked. A beam had come crashing down, filling what used to be a doorway with debris. Using his hands and waldoes, the mechanical arms in the back of his new armored costume, Spider-Man dug out an opening and quickly reinforced it with his webbing. The makeshift rig held long enough for everyone to make it out of the rubble-filled corridor and onto the street, where emergency personnel waited with blankets and stretchers. _Okay, _he thought, _time to get back in there and lend the newbie a hand._

Peter was searching through the destruction on the first floor, when he heard a voice coming from the stairwell. Ahead of him, he could see the Dark Crusader clearing debris to free a young man stuck there. Spider-Man began to go to help, when he heard something that stopped him cold.

"Hold on tight, ya punk, so I can get your sorry ass out of here," came the Crusader's voice.

"What did you say?" the man asked.

"Nothing, we'll be out of here in a second."

True to his word, the Dark Crusader got the victim out. He never noticed Spider-Man in the shadows as they passed. _Did I really hear him talk that way to a victim?_ He wondered, shaking his head in disbelief as he continued his methodical search for any remaining survivors. He had managed to escort the last ones out, when suddenly, his spider-sense flared. "Get out of the way!" he shouted, pushing people out of the range of flying rubble as the rest of the building collapsed behind them. _Was the Crusader caught in that?_ he wondered. The other hero was nowhere to be seen. His spider-sense was not warning him of any danger… so he decided that the other man must have already left the scene.

Having done everything he could possibly do, Spider-Man flew over the rooftops and disappeared from sight. Taking refuge in an alley, he quickly changed into his street clothes and looked for Mary Jane and May. He found them, standing across the street from what was, until an hour or so earlier, a gleaming modern office building.

"Hey guys," Peter said to the surprise of both MJ and May.

"You did good, Tiger," Mary Jane said, giving her husband a loving hug and kiss.

"We are very proud of you, Peter," May added, embracing Peter as well.

As much as he appreciated the warm welcome from his family, he still felt quite uneasy about what he had overheard. _The way he talked to that young man, there was something so familiar about it…_ Mary Jane must have noticed the far away look on his face, because she asked, "What's the matter, Peter?"

He shook his head distractedly. "I dunno, but let's talk about it back home. Okay?"

All the way back to Stark Tower, Peter replayed the Dark Crusader's voice over and over in his mind.

* * *

"I see you made the news today," Felicia commented. Her legs swung lazily over the edge of the building.

Paul nodded, a small grin on his face.

"They didn't get your name right, though." Earlier in the afternoon, she had seen a television news report. _Dark Champion saves ten in building collapse._ The reporter went on to say that Spider-Man had also been involved in the rescue, and posed the question, _"Is this the debut of yet another New Avenger?" _

She continued jokingly, "Now all you need is some _Daily Bugle_ coverage, and you'll be official."

The smile slowly disappeared. "That rag just trashes decent folk…" His face turned stormy. "And don't get me started on Jameson…"

"Whoa, hey. I couldn't agree more… sorry I brought it up." She patted his hand consolingly.

He seemed to purposefully change his attitude. "No, I'm sorry. I won't let that gas bag ruin our evening." He pointed at the skyline. "Shall we?"

"Just a minute." Felicia moved close to him. Before she could talk herself out of it, she moved her lips close to his, and tenderly kissed them.

For a moment, she thought he was too surprised to respond, but after his initial shock wore off, he deepened the kiss. After a time, they parted reluctantly. "What was that for?" he asked with a wondering look.

"Just my way of saying, 'Congratulations,'" she breathed huskily. She stood, and stepped to the edge of the roof, throwing a flirty glance over her shoulder. "Coming, gorgeous?" Without waiting for an answer, she swan-dived off of the edge.

Felicia felt positively giddy. _It is _so_ wonderful to have a partner again_, she thought, not for the first time during this last week. She could feel him keeping up with her easily, letting her choose this time the direction they would take. Off to their left, she saw a plume of smoke rising into the air. As one, they headed toward the blaze.

The two of them stopped on the roof of the building across the street. She could hear shouts from the upper floors – _People must be trapped up there_. She readied her grappling hook to swing across, but noticed Paul's hesitation. "What's wrong?"

He tapped his fingers against his mouth, brow furrowed. An instant later, he shook his head. "Nothing. Maybe we should split up, cover more ground. I'll take the top floor, you can help the people on the floor below."

"Got it." She fired the hook, which anchored in the concrete across the way. "Let me know if you need a hand," she shot back at him, as she sailed across the chasm. She never heard his answer over the roar of the flames.

Crashing feet first through the windows of her floor, the Black Cat landed in a crouch. She peered through the smoke and flame, trying to find anyone trapped. The thick smoke got caught in her throat, and she coughed. _Maybe I'm in over my head, here…_ She started to turn toward the window, when she heard a faint cry for help.

Turning back in the direction of the sound, she strained to see through the hazy smoke. With grim determination, Cat moved farther into the room. She made it as far as the hallway, when, with a crackling _roar_, the ceiling of the room behind her tumbled to the floor. _Great, can't go out that way anymore_, she thought, trying to remain calm. She could no longer hear the cry for help… if it had even been real to begin with.

Lifting her arm to protect her mouth against the smoke, she carefully stepped down the corridor, trying to find another exit. The flames colored the walls an eerie amber. She was beginning to lose all sense of direction. Her lungs were filling with smoke, her coughing becoming more and more erratic. Her head began to swim…

Somehow, she managed to stumble to the door to the fire escape, opening it with a forceful kick. As she hit the fresher air, she tried to inhale, but the smoke pouring out behind her filled her airways instead. In a violent coughing fit, she fell to the grating of the fire escape. _It looks like I was the one who needed Crusader's help, not the other way around,_ she thought as darkness overtook her.

* * *

A figure watched from the shadows nearby. If anyone happened by, they would not have seen him there. Blending into the brickwork as if he were invisible, he waited for the Black Cat to exit the blazing building. He had been looking for a good opportunity for the past several days, trying to find just the right moment. She had been instrumental in sending him to prison the last time around, and now that he was free – he had a few scores to settle.

A few days ago, he thought he had the perfect opportunity, but then _he _showed up. There was no sense in making things more complicated at this point. So he left, deciding to wait for a more opportune moment.

Suddenly, a door burst open on an upper level, and his prey staggered out, coughing. It was obvious that she was weak and disoriented. The smoke swirled around her backlit form. The buxom crime fighter began coughing again, and passed out in the doorway.

He grinned inwardly. _Now I have you…_

The feeling of cold wind on her exposed skin jolted Felicia briefly from her stupor. For just a moment, she noted the feeling of swinging through the air, and thought, _Thank God, Peter…_ before drifting into unconsciousness once more.


	5. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Devil You Don't Know

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 5: Lost

Sunrise found Peter still awake, gazing toward the horizon without actually seeing it. A cup of coffee, long gone cold, rested in his hand. Mary Jane hadn't awakened yet, at least, he didn't think she had. He had hardly disturbed the covers on his side of the bed. _MJ won't be happy about that_, he grimly realized_. It's one thing when I stay out all night on patrol or on a mission. It's another when I stay up all night worrying._

After the building collapse the previous afternoon, the three Parkers returned to the apartment. Peter had been uncharacteristically silent, and that did not escape Mary Jane's ever-watchful eyes…

"_Tiger, please. I know that look. Something is really bothering you…" She placed a hand gently on his arm, concerned._

_He smiled, that special smile reserved just for her, and admitted, "I can't keep anything from you, can I?"_

_She shook her head. Peter searched for the words to say, looking for any words that might be easier to hear, but finally settled on the truth. "I'm worried about…" He stiffened his resolve. "…about Felicia."_

_The look on her face changed from concern to wariness. "What about Felicia?" she asked, thankfully without hostility._

_Her reaction encouraged him. "I ran into her the other night again, as the Black Cat…"_

"_And?" MJ was keeping her expression purposely blank._

"_She was with someone, a new costumed hero, on a date. He called himself 'The Dark Crusader.'"_

"_A date? She has a new guy in her life? Good for her." She sounded pleased, but… "So what's the problem?"_

"_I don't know… I don't think he's right for her." MJ's eyebrows lowered, but she didn't interrupt. "He showed up at the building accident today. I overheard him talking harshly to one of the people trapped in a stairwell."_

"_What did he say?"_

"_Something about getting his 'sorry ass' out of there."_

_Mary Jane didn't seem concerned. "Maybe he was just stressed out. You said he was new, right? I mean, you were probably a bit of a hothead back then, too."_

"_Sure, I was," he admitted. "But never with someone I was trying to help. I just can't shake the feeling that there's something not quite right about him…"_

_Her lips pressed together. "Felicia is a big girl, Peter. She can take care of herself just fine. If she likes this guy, then he probably has a lot of good qualities, too."_

_Everything MJ was saying made sense, but his two brief encounters with Felicia's new boyfriend had kindled some sort of protective instinct in him. "That may be true. But still…"_

_MJ sighed in exasperation. "But still, what? She's moving on. Can't you accept that?"_

He was shaken from his reverie by the buzzing of the intercom. _"Mr. Parker, sir,"_ Jarvis announced.

Peter got up from the table and moved close to the speaker. "Yes, I'm here. What is it?"

"_There seems to be a bit of an altercation in the lobby, sir. A man, wearing a black jumpsuit and eye-mask, is here, demanding to see you. He claims that Spider-Man knows him."_ He cleared his throat. _"We tried to politely escort him from the building, but he is… stubborn."_

"I'll be right there," he said, already halfway into his costume.

* * *

Spider-Man followed the Dark Crusader to where he had last seen the Black Cat. When he had finally managed to calm the Crusader down, the guy explained that Felicia had disappeared during a fire search-and-rescue mission. Spider-Man had agreed to help, if only to learn more about him. _He looks really concerned about her, but still, there's something odd about him_… he thought as they arrived at their destination. The wallcrawler was surprised to see that the building was still intact, especially with all that fire damage.

"Be careful – I don't think the building's structurally sound anymore," Spider-Man warned.

"No problem, web-head," Dark Crusader answered as he gave Spidey a thumbs up, and took off to look for clues as to the Black Cat's disappearance. But there was an undercurrent of smugness in the rookie's tone that was really starting to get under the webslinger's skin.

With his new, enhanced vision, backed up by his old, reliable spider-sense, Spider-Man started to make his way through the dank, dark building. Here and there, he could still see smoke rising from the rubble. He was thankful that his mask protected him. And the waldo-cams definitely made the job that much easier.

Spider-Man searched several floors until he spotted an open window leading to a fire escape. _I haven't had much luck so far, might as well see if there's anything out there_, Spider-Man thought. He had barely stuck his head out the window, when he spotted an object laying on the rickety metal stairway. It was the Black Cat's mask. _Oh, my God … What happened to you, Felicia?_

He spotted the Crusader on the roof and quickly joined him. "Did you find anything?"

The Dark Crusader replied grimly, "Not a thing. How about you?"

Spider-Man held up the mask. "This," he replied grimly, "on the fire escape."

Dark Crusader silently stared at it, face becoming hard. "Whoever did this to her… they'll regret it…" he said softly. He looked up at Spider-Man fear and anger in his eyes. "But I don't even know where to start looking."

"Let me take this," Spider-Man said reassuringly. "I have access to state-of-the-art forensic equipment at Stark Tower." He could tell right away from the look of anxiety in the other man's eyes that Dark Crusader didn't want to part with it. "Don't worry. We'll find her. She'll be fine," he consoled, though he was not entirely sure of that himself, he managed to cheer the Crusader up a little.

"I hope you're right. Let me know what you find out. Take it easy, webhead." As he headed toward the edge of the roof, he stopped and turned back. "Oh, and by the way, thanks." With that, he leapt away

Lost in thought, Spider-Man stepped lightly down the fire escape steps. At his feet, he caught a glimpse of something sticky and white. _I almost missed this…interesting._ Taking a small plastic baggie out of his belt compartment, he collected the strange substance. He thought about calling after the Crusader, but the other man had already gone. _I'll analyze this at the same time as the mask, and let him know later,_ he decided as he fired a web-line and headed home.

By the time he arrived, his mind was whirling a million directions. He wanted to take a quick shower and change clothes before starting the forensic analysis

"Tiger, is that you?" he heard from the kitchen.

"It ain't the tooth fairy, sweetheart."

"You didn't come to bed last night. Everything all right?" she asked, concerned.

"No," Peter took out Felicia's mask from a compartment on his costume and showed it to Mary Jane.

"Oh, my God," she said, her eyes widening in shock. "Do you think that that Crusader guy did something to her?"

Peter thought it over very carefully before answering, "I don't think so. He told me she was missing and asked me to help him find her."

She gave him a look that said, _You see? You didn't have to worry about him, after all. _What do you think happened?"

He handed her the baggie. "I don't really know, but I hope studying this will give me something to go on."

She turned the plastic baggie over in her hands, as puzzled as he had been. "You found this when you were out helping the Crusader, then?" She handed it back to Peter.

"Uh huh. Same place I found her mask."

"Are you going to give it to Tony?"

"Nah. He's busy enough as it is. But I'll ask him if I need help."

MJ's mouth compressed into the same thin line it had yesterday evening. "Peter. I know she's in trouble and everything, but... "

"But what, MJ?" Peter asked, perturbed.

"Well, it just seems like every time that woman waltzes back into your life, you end up in trouble, or worse. I swear, if something happens to you because of all this..."

"Nothing is going to happen to me. She's a good friend. Besides, if she is in trouble, she will need help."

Myriad emotions played over Mary Jane's face. "Why does it always have to be _you _to come to her rescue?" She turned away from Peter, trying not to be upset.

Peter came up behind Mary Jane, wrapped his arms around her and placed his head on her shoulder. "Can you think of anyone else who would have any luck in finding her?"

"No," she said in a low voice. He could see a tear fall slowly from her eye. "I know you still care about her as a friend." She pulled away from him, and wouldn't meet his gaze. "Go. See what you can find out." She wiped the moisture from her eyes. Without looking back toward him, she said distantly, "I need to get ready for rehearsal anyway..." and she left the room.

He wanted to go after her, but he was torn. _Damn,_ he thought, pounding his fist into his hand. But his worry for Felicia was overriding everything else. _I can make it up to MJ later. But who knows how much time Felicia has?_ He headed for the shower.

**A/N: Thank you to our devoted reviewers! We love you! We hope that you weren't disappointed by the lack of Felicia in this chapter, but we assure you, she'll be back!**


	6. Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Devil You Don't Know

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 6: Chaos

Regaining consciousness, Felicia felt her limbs ache. They had obviously been in the same position for far too long. Her arms were tied behind her back, her legs at the ankles. She was lying on her side on a cold floor. As she opened her eyes blearily, she found she couldn't focus. Objects in the room…? cell…? remained obstinately out of focus, even as she tried to get her bearings.

Her disorientation was not just from smoke inhalation. Closing her eyes, she focused on her physical sensations, grimacing from the sharp pain she felt along her upper arms. _How in God's name did this happen?_ she wondered silently. _Was I drugged?_

She dimly remembered one thing between passing out at the fire and now – the sensation of swinging through the air. At the time, she had assumed that Peter had somehow saved her. But the fact that she was here, wherever "here" was, and not in a hospital bed, quickly put the kibosh on that theory.

She struggled to a kneeling position, opening her eyes again. Whatever she had been drugged with was starting to wear off. Not enough for her to be able to figure out where she was – no matter how much she tried, her eyes stubbornly refused to bring her surroundings into focus. She twisted her wrists back and forth, trying to loosen her bonds. No use. _What were these made of?_ It wasn't rope, or adhesive tape, or plastic cord… It simply held her wrists together, unmoving. She couldn't reach the claw trigger in her gloves, either. She strained with the effort of freeing herself…

"Awake, are you?" a gruff male voice came out of nowhere. A blurry figure stepped into her line of vision. She peered upward – the man seemed to be wearing a full-face mask and a duster that skimmed the floor.

"Who… are you?" Her voice came as a dusky rasp.

The hoarseness of the man's voice increased. "You don't need to know, Cat." The person stepped closer to her bound form. "All you need to know is that you wouldn't be here if you hadn't helped put me in prison the last time we encountered each other."

Her mind swam, she struggled to think – _who?_ Unfortunately, there had been too many men she had helped to put away during her crimefighting career, both during and after her partnership with Spider-Man. The list was not short…

He moved toward her, holding something in his right hand. It wasn't until it got closer to to her arm that she could see it was a syringe filled with liquid.

She jerked away weakly. "Keep that… away from me… you bastard!"

He easily caught her arm in his hand. "Now, now. You and I both know that it's too dangerous to keep you awake." He plunged the needle unmercifully into her upper arm, piercing the leather sleeve.

"F#&amp; you," she spat.

She fought a valiant, but futile, battle to remain conscious. The last thing she heard before losing that battle was, "Time to go distract your 'boyfriend.'"

* * *

Over the past couple of hours, Peter had been working in the lab, testing the sticky substance he had found at the site of the fire. As he waited for the results, he had time to think not only about finding Felicia but also why Mary Jane seemed so upset about it. As he was going over both problems in his mind, Peter was interrupted by the lab's intercom.

"_Mr. Parker, are you there?"_ the voice of Jarvis echoed in the lab.

Peter smiled at that. He never really got used to it when the students at Midtown High called him that. _I don't know if I'll ever get used to being referred to as_ Mr. Parker.

Peter answered, "I'm here, Jarvis. Is this about what you have planned with my aunt today? Because if it is…"

"_No, no, no,"_ Jarvis interrupted, _"There's a message for you from that Dark Crusader person who was here earlier."_

_Checking up on me already, I see_, he thought. "Can you send the message through the intercom, Jarvis?"

"_Most definitely, sir. Here it is, now."_

Within moments, the message began over the speaker. "_Hey webhead, this is Dark Crusader checkin' in. I may have found a lead to the whereabouts of the Black Cat. Meet me over at the burnt out building that Felicia disappeared from. See you soon._"

Once the message ended, Peter said, "Thanks, Jarvis."

"_Do be careful out there, sir. You know how your Aunt May worries about you."_

"I will."

When he arrived at the designated rendezvous point, the Dark Crusader was nowhere to be seen.

"Yoo-hoo, Dark Crusader!" Spider-Man shouted. "Where the heck are you?" No answer.

He continued to call out to the Dark Crusader as he searched the building. Was he late? Or just early? With no sign of the Crusader, he went up to the roof, finding what appeared to be a mask. "What the…" Examining the mask very closely, Spider-Man realized whose it was.

_Damn it!_ Spider-Man thought frantically as he fired a web-line and hightailed it back to Stark Tower. _Were the two disappearances related?_ he asked himself, hoping that he was not witnessing the beginning of an epidemic.

* * *

His duties finished for the afternoon, Edwin Jarvis prepared himself for his date with May Parker. He found it quite refreshing to have her around. May often assisted him with cooking and cleaning, but it was more than that. He had lived among larger-than-life heroes for years. It was nice to have someone as down to earth as May to talk to.

"Are you ready to go, May?" asked Jarvis, patiently waiting outside her room.

May replied, "Just a minute, Edwin. I'm almost ready."

As promised, a minute later, May came out of her room, looking ready for a night on the town.

Jarvis smiled at her. "You look lovely, May."

"And you look very handsome, Edwin," May replied, giving him a peck on the cheek for the compliment.

"Shall we?"

Nodding, she took his arm. They made their way to the elevator, and eventually out of the Tower to grab a bite to eat.

When they had arrived at the restaurant, the time just flew by between a wonderful meal and a lively conversation.

Before heading back home, they decided to take a leisurely stroll through Central Park. Walking arm in arm, May and Jarvis enjoyed the scenery of the park at dusk.

Their contentment was brutally interrupted when Jarvis was forcefully knocked to the ground. May cried out in fear.

"Get away from the lady, old man. She's coming with me," threatened a bruising man dressed in a duster and wearing a full-face mask.

Jarvis pushed himself up from the ground and challenged his attacker. "I beg to differ, you… ruffian."

His bravery was rewarded with a powerful punch, which knocked him back to the ground. The masked man proceeded to pound on him until Jarvis was unconscious.

"Edwin!" May screamed, terrified at seeing Jarvis beaten savagely. "Someone, anyone, please we need help!"

"Shut yer yap, you old hag," the man spat angrily. "Like I said before, you're comin' with me." Without a moment's hesitation, he fired a spray canister directly at May's face, knocking her out in a less brutal but no less effective fashion.

Giving Jarvis another swift kick, the masked man picked May up, slung her over his back and bounded away.

Minutes later, Jarvis came to, feeling the aches and pains from the beating he had taken. The cobwebs began to clear slowly from his head as he got his bearings. Jarvis then realized that he was alone and called out frantically, "May? Where are you, May?" Jarvis got no response - now he feared the worst. Pain shot through his right arm as he struggled back to his feet. To his dismay, he realized that the arm might be broken… Holding it carefully with the other arm, he slowly got to his feet and unsteadily headed towards Stark Tower.

With his good arm, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Peter's apartment number... no answer. _How will he take this news?_ Jarvis wondered, as he tapped in 911.

* * *

"We don't have proof that these are even connected!" Peter defended, frustration tingeing his voice.

Mary Jane shot back just as fervently, "Peter, of course they are! When this many people go missing, it can't be a coincidence..."

"But I've found no evidence to prove that. If the same person or group grabbed Felicia, wouldn't they have grabbed the Dark Crusader along with her?"

"Well, if it is just one guy... Jarvis said only one person attacked him. Maybe he could only handle one at a time."

"But Aunt May is an average person, so one person could take her, in the right situation. A pair of men could've done the same thing. Right now, I don't know what to think because both Felicia and Aunt May are missing. I have no idea who would want to take my aunt," Peter replied, upset, anxious, and highly agitated.

Mary Jane waved her hands in front of her body, dismissing his reasoning. "Whatever. I just think it's kind of suspicious that as soon as you let Felicia back in your life, this happens."

"Come off it, MJ. You don't mean that?"

"Of course, I mean that! Think of the last time the two of you worked together!" She ticked the events off on her fingers. "You broke Norman Osborn, your worst enemy, out of prison… Osborn threw a fistful of your rogues gallery at the two of you… He kidnapped me, and took me to that stupid bridge…" She huffed, irritated. "Do you see my point?"

"I couldn't let her get Osborn out by herself. Besides, she _volunteered _to do it. I have also fought all of those guys either by themselves, or within groups, and in the end, I was the one still standing," Peter shot back. "And whatever I can't handle, I'll always have the other Avengers as back up."

"You still don't get it, do you?" she fired right back.

"Yeah, I get it. You're jealous of Felicia."

"What did you just say!" Mary Jane asked, shocked that Peter would say that.

"I said, you are jealous of Felicia – and for the life of me, I don't know why."

MJ stilled suddenly, so angry that she couldn't speak. Peter could see her face flush, and then she suddenly brushed past him, going into the bedroom, and slammed the door, _hard_.

"MJ!" Peter called after her, immediately regretting what he had said. He strode over to the door, knocking. There was no answer. He tried the door and found it locked. With all his being, he wanted to burst through the locked door and try to resolve this... but common sense won out. She would come out, and they would talk in a more civilized, less angry way later on. At least, he told himself that…

To get his mind off his argument with Mary Jane, Peter went to check if the analysis of the sticky substance was completed. By now, the results would surely be ready; they had probably been done hours ago. The elevator ride seemed interminable, his thoughts torn between a missing Felicia, May and Dark Crusader, and his angry wife. The doors to the lab slid open with a quiet hiss, and he walked purposefully over to the screen.

What Peter saw surprised him. "How could I have missed this…? I should have known!" Peter mentally cursed himself.


	7. And Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Happy Birthday, Mark! I treasure our friendship. May you have many more happy years!**

**A/N: Happy Birthday, Mark! I treasure our friendship. May you have many more happy years!**

**Also, everyone, go read Mark's new one-shot, _Coming Clean._ Give him a birthday surprise!**

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 7: …and Found

Spider-Man swung through the city, feeling as if the weight of the world was once again on his shoulders. _That old Parker luck is running true to form once again_, he mused sadly. _Why should I go after Felicia? Because, Einstein, there has to be a connection between her disappearance and those of the Dark Crusader and Aunt May. I should have figured this thing out by now! If I had, MJ and I never would have had that fight…_

With all of his troubles swirling around in his head, Spider-Man touched down on the fire escape where he had earlier collected the white substance. He sprinted up the stairs to the roof and paused, looking around for any sign of the strange material.

He scanned the area using the sight amplification of the eyepieces in his mask. Across the street, a barely seen bit of white glimmered momentarily in the sun. After a few quick, bounding jumps, he was examining it closely – the two substances were the same. He extrapolated the two points, and saw the direction they led…to another building, barely two blocks away. _Ah, yes_ … _I can't believe I missed this. Well, detective work was never my strong point, _he reflected._ Let's see if I can find anything else of interest around here_.

His hopes of finding his friend and loved one renewed, Spider-Man fired a web line and swung in a short arc toward his intended target. Landing near an open window on the uppermost floor, he released the three waldoes from his costume to aid in his search. A few seconds later, he slipped through the window, taking care not to make any noise. Although his spider-sense told him that the floor was deserted, he wasn't about take any chances. He crawled across the ceiling, surreptitiously peeking into each room with the cameras in the waldoes.

Finding nothing on the top floor, he descended to the next one. The tingling at the base of his skull told him there was someone inside a room down the hallway. The door was slightly ajar, so he silently slid a camera in through the frame.

The digital screen revealed the room to contain some sort of makeshift cell. Beyond the door to the room there was a crude cage with a locked door, and a person lying on a cot inside. Opening the door a bit wider, Spider-Man crawled along the ceiling until he was inside. Silently dropping to the floor, he got a clear look at who was on the cot.

"Cat? Cat, are you all right?" he asked, slightly above a whisper.

Felicia began to stir slightly, emitting a series of groans. "Spider, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Now, hold on tight and I'll get you out of here in a sec."

Grabbing a hold of the cell door, Spider-Man gave it a quick jerk, which broke the lock. Kneeling beside her, he noticed that she was extremely pale. But what startled him the most were the needle marks up and down her exposed arm.

_Dear God, what did that bastard do to you?_ He fought to hold back a rush of anger as he tenderly lifted the Black Cat off the cot. "Do you think you can stand on your own?" he asked her gently.

She gave Spider-Man a nod and made a valiant, but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to stand on her own. He tried to steady her, but she had started to sway the second he let go of her. She was clearly in no condition to do anything on her own, for the time being. But he really needed to search the rest of the building and there was not a whole lot of time. "I can't leave you alone…" he said anxiously, webbing her to his back to continue the search.

Throughout his search for May and the Dark Crusader, Spider-Man knew that the Black Cat was in a bad way. _What am I going to do?_ he thought, _I can't just leave Cat for Venom to find and do God knows what to her. But I can't stop searching for Aunt May, either. If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself._

There was no one else in the entire building. Torn and frustrated, the wallcrawler came to a decision that he hoped would not come back to haunt him. _Right now, my number one priority is to get Cat some help and then I'll continue my search._ Once again, he checked to see if the Black Cat was still securely webbed to his back and he began to webswing back to Stark Tower.

Spider-Man's webswinging brought the Black Cat out of her drug-induced stupor. "What the hell is going on, Spider?" she asked, slurring her words. "How did I get this way?"

"I don't know… but I intend to find out," Peter assured her with fierce determination. We'll get you checked out as soon as we get back to Stark Tower." He paused, and then said grimly, "But _I_ know who did this to you."

"Who?" she rasped weakly.

"Mac Gargan," he finished. "Or as he is better known these days, Venom."

* * *

"Focus, MJ!"

Once again, Mary Jane had tripped over a line she should have had engrained in her mind. "Sorry, Gray. I'll get it this time…" She moved back into the blocking they had been rehearsing for weeks. The lines on Gray's face softened as he saw his lead actress give the performance he was expecting.

_If he only knew…_ she mused. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the argument she had with Peter. _Jealous?_ A touch of anger heated her for a moment. _By now, he should know that I am not threatened by that woman_ at all

She delivered her next few lines a little too heatedly, provoking a raised eyebrow from her co-star, Gregory. She gave him a little shrug – the lines needed spicing up, anyway. _What bothers me the most about Felicia is how unpredictable she is. Peter could find himself in a huge mess, and for no other reason than he feels responsible for everyone he runs into! _But then she paused, and backtracked. _Of course, that's one of the things I love about him…_

She looked up to see her fellow actors, and the director, all staring at her pointedly. Gregory gave the lead-in again, "…wouldn't you say, Sydney?"

_Crap…_ "I'm sorry, guys, my head's just not in this today…"

"Everyone, take five!" Gray called out to the cast and crew. He turned his gaze to Mary Jane, concerned. "MJ, what's the matter?"

She had earned major points with her director earlier in the season. She was one of the most dedicated members of the cast – always on time, always prepared, willing to accept constructive criticism. So when she was _this_ unfocused, there had to be a reason.

But unloading problems on other people was not Mary Jane's style. "Nothing, Gray. I'm just distracted right now. Give me a few minutes and I'll be back in form. I promise."

Gray assented with a nod and went to talk to one of the guys at the light board. Mary Jane sat down in the middle of the back row, absentmindedly playing with her matching silver bracelets as she pondered the situation.

_Wasn't this supposed to get easier?_ she thought ruefully. Living in Stark Tower, with all the protection that it entailed, should have made their lives safer. Had they simply made themselves an easier target? Did someone really figure out the equation PP SM? Or was there something more subtle going on? She wondered where it would stop.

She was lost amid her musings when suddenly her director barked out, "Okay, Mary Jane. Let's go." Was she ready to start again? She waved and stood up. _Enough with the pity party, time to get back to work._

An hour later, her jacket wrapped around her shoulders, Mary Jane stepped through the stage door and out into the chilly evening air. She glanced up and down the street. Not a cab was in sight. Sighing, she walked toward the corner, thinking that she would have better luck there.

After what seemed to be an eternity, a cab finally turned onto the street a few blocks away and headed in her direction. She had barely raised her hand to flag it down when suddenly, the street light above her went out. _Great, _she thought, moving hurriedly through the darkened area,_ he won't_ _see me…_

Before she could attempt to get the driver's attention again, she felt a tendril wrap around her body from behind. She let out a squeak of terror, which was hastily stifled by a heavy hand clamping over her mouth.

_Not again! How often in one lifetime can a girl be kidnapped!_ she thought, although she was no less terrified than all the previous times. She struggled against the slimy bonds around her arms and waist. Her hands were bound flush against her legs, fingers unmovable. _If I could only just reach the…_

"**_You'd make it a lot easier on yourself if you'd stop fighting us_…"** a raspy, eerie voice murmured next to her ear. The strange doubled-quality to the voice made her eyes go wide in shock. It didn't sound like the voice she remembered, but… _I thought he was in prison!_

Her astonishment didn't last long. _Like hell I'm going to stop fighting!_ She twisted and thrashed in his grip.

"**_We warned you, sweetheart…_"** She felt a sharp prick on the side of her neck, like a needle piercing the skin.

_Damn,_ was the only thought she had time for as the world went black.


	8. Predator and Prey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Devil You Don't Know

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 8: Predator and Prey

May Reilly Parker sat quietly on a cot inside her cell, her mind racing, wondering why she had been taken. _I hope that brute didn't hurt Edwin too badly_, she worried. It was quite a predicament she found herself in, but it was not the first time, not by any stretch of the imagination. At least she hadn't been buried alive _this_ time. She shuddered as she heard the door and watched two figures entering, one carrying the other. The light in the room was so dim that she couldn't tell who it was.

"Here's a roommate for you, ya old bat," the kidnapper spat out as he tossed his captive onto the floor of the cell.. He abruptly locked the cell door and left the room.

Feeling her years, May pushed up from the cot and crept over to where the crumpled figure lay. It was difficult to see the new victim's face in the dim light, but, as she got closer…

"Mary Jane?" a startled May asked, "Mary Jane, is that you?"

Mary Jane groaned and took a good look at May as she slowly turned over. The fog seemed to clear from her eyes. She asked, "Aunt May, is that really you?"

"Yes, it is dear," she said gently.

May carefully helped Mary Jane off the floor and over to the cot. As MJ struggled to her feet, the two women silently gave each other a warm embrace. Now they were in this together.

"Jarvis told us what happened," Mary Jane reported as she regained her balance, and her strength. "Do you have any idea where we are?"

"No, honey, I'm sorry. He knocked me out with some kind of spray." She paused, and then added, "I do hope that Edwin is all right." The concern in her voice was palpable.

"He's fine, May," Mary Jane reassured her. "With all that he goes through with the Avengers, I think he's used to it."

"How about you? How did you end up here?"

"It was right after a play rehearsal. I was getting ready to hail a cab and that bastard surprised me and knocked me out. When Peter finds out who did this…" Her voice became thick with anger.

"Do _you_ know who did this?" May asked.

Mary Jane answered, "Don't you?"

"No, the man that took me was wearing a duster and a mask. There was no way for me to tell who it was."

"Well, the way he grabbed me, I have no doubt who it was. Venom."

May gasped.

Mary Jane continued, "But it wasn't Eddie Brock. According to Peter, someone else bonded with it recently. His name is Mac Gargan. At one point in time, he was the villain called the Scorpion. I have no idea why he's doing this, but I bet it's to get back at Peter."

"Oh, dear me."

"We'll get out of here May, somehow."

Relieved at no longer being alone, an exhausted May lay down and rested while Mary Jane sat at the end of the cot pondering their predicament.

_How are we going to get out of here?_ Mary Jane thought. _I know Peter's going to be looking for us. I just wish we hadn't had that argument. If anything should happen to either of us…stop thinking that way, Mary Jane. Peter and the Avengers will find us and take care of Venom._

As these thoughts played through her head, she began fiddling with the bracelets that Peter had given her. All of a sudden, a thought came to mind, bringing a somewhat mischievous smile to her face.

* * *

Still as a predator, Peter perched on the ledge. A slight wash of red tinged the streetlights below – simply due to his mental state. His anger over MJ's disappearance had cooled from a hot flame to a simmering rage. Felicia waited in the shadows nearby. Her eyes were narrowed to angry slits, muscles tensed. With no leads other than Gargan's identity, they were frustrated beyond measure. They could only wait and hope that their prey would return to the building where he had imprisoned the Black Cat…

"_Your blood sample shows traces of _etomidate_ – usually that's used as a general anesthetic. Can you remember how many doses he gave you?" Peter asked Felicia, concerned._

_She rubbed her upper arm distractedly. "I can remember two times, it could have been three…"_

"_It's mostly out of your system, now. The effects only last about 24 hours, so it was probably only twice." Peter placed the vial of blood in refrigeration, and then turned back to her. "Did you get a good look at Gargan? How was he dressed?"_

_Her eyes drifted upward in thought. "Black full-face mask… long duster…" She tilted her head to the other side. "And he seemed to be disguising his voice – I had no idea I who it was. But it's not like Gargan and I fought that often, either when he was the Scorpion _or_ in that last battle as Venom."_

_Felicia had described her captor's appearance the same way that Jarvis had described May's abductor ... _

_With a slight shock, Peter realized that MJ was right._

"_Don't worry, it doesn't matter now, I'm sure it's him. But he never mentioned my Aunt May or the Dark Crusader at all?"_

_She shook her head._

_Peter picked up the phone and dialed his apartment. "We'll go after him as soon as you're recovered enough to fight," he said. He let it ring several times before ending the call. _Maybe she's already asleep. If she's tired enough, she turns off the ringer…

_Next he tried the front desk. "Hello, this is Peter Parker. Could you please give a message to my wife?"_

"_Certainly, sir," the receptionist responded. "When do you expect her to return?"_

_A terrible sense of dread overwhelmed him. He had been uneasy for hours now, which he attributed to worry for May and regret over his argument with MJ. He looked up at the clock. It was midnight – she should have been home from rehearsal at least an hour ago… _

"_Sir?"_

_Peter turned to Felicia again, fury and fear suffusing every nerve. She stared back at him, eyes hard. "Don't worry about me, Spider." She slid from the examining table. "Let's go get that bastard." _

In no time at all, they had arrived at the theater. As Peter searched frantically for clues as to his wife's whereabouts, he kept throwing glances over at the Black Cat. The women Gargan had kidnapped were all related to him in some way, which wasn't surprising. After all, Gargan had known his identity since just before bonding with the symbiote. But what of the Dark Crusader? Had he been caught accidentally in Gargan's treachery? Or… was he working with Venom? Sadness floated above his anger. _This black cat has had nothing but bad luck when it comes to men…_

On one side of the theater, near the stage door, Peter found a darkened streetlight. Climbing nimbly up the pole, he examined the broken glass. A tiny trace of the white symbiotic webbing clung to one of the shards.

But no matter how they had searched, neither he nor Felicia could find a trail leading away from the theater.

Now, back at the abandoned building, Spider-Man and Black Cat waited. Neither moved. Neither spoke. Although his body was unmoving, his thoughts swirled in a million directions.

Felicia made a small sound of surprise. A black-gloved hand suddenly grasped the bricks at the edge of the roof. Before he could even wonder where it had come from, the Dark Crusader's arm and head hove into view. He strained with great effort to lever the rest of his body over the ledge.

Felicia was racing across the roof in a flash. "Paul!" she cried, not seeming to notice she had used his real name. She took his hand and pulled him into a relieved embrace. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm all right, Felicia. Just still groggy… can't shake the drugs off," he assured her weakly.

"How did you escape?" She led him to sit, and kneeled beside him attentively.

"Just lucky, I guess." He shook his head to clear it. "The last time I woke up, I found myself alone. The drugs had worn off enough that I could break my bonds and escape."

Felicia touched his hair gently. "But how—"

"—Did you find us?" Spider-Man interrupted, coming close for the first time.

Dark Crusader ducked his head in embarrassment. "I went back to the site of the fire where Cat disappeared. There was this trail of stuff… I don't know what it is… leading here to this building." He looked back up at Spider-Man. "But it looks like you saved her first. Thanks, man."

"Of course," he nodded noncommittally, arms folded across his chest. Beneath his mask, Peter wore an expression of mistrust. He couldn't find any holes in the Dark Crusader's story. But there were some things that were not adding up.

Crusader turned to the Black Cat again. "How about you? Are you all right? Did he touch you…?"

She smiled that smile, one he knew so well, and answered while unconsciously flexing her claws, "Of course not," she purred. "You would've see him in little pieces all over this roof if he had."

Peter cut in, "We know who it was." Dark Crusader looked up with interest. "Venom," he finished, gauging the other man's reaction.

"Really?" he asked with some surprise. "Is that what all the white stuff was, then? His webbing?"

"Without a doubt," Peter replied, voicing the thought that had been bothering him since he first discovered the substance. "But why there was enough left to leave a trail to this building... it was almost as if he wanted us to show up here…" He purposefully left the idea hanging between them.

"You think it's a trap, then?" Crusader asked with a touch of worry.

"Or a distraction." Spider-sense or no spider-sense, he was sure this guy knew something about what was going on. _I just don't know how…_

"Oh, yeah… is your family okay?"

Something about that question flipped a switch inside him. All the anger and rage pent up inside for the last several hours burst out of him at once. He exploded into action, tackling the Crusader, and pinned him by the throat against the ledge.

"Spider, what the hell!" Cat cried out.

"Yeah, man, what did I say?" Crusader choked, gasping for air.

Coolly, quietly, Peter spoke. "You don't know me from Adam… how do you know I even _have_ a family? And if I did, why wouldn't they be okay?"

"I—" His words cut off as Peter squeezed tighter.

Felicia seized him by the shoulders, and tried to pull him off. "Are you insane? He's just as confused about this as _we_ are!"

"I don't think so. I've been suspicious of him since the first day I met him," he growled back at her, shaking her off easily. "Are you in this with Gargan? Where is he keeping them, dammit?"

The Black Cat rounded on him angrily. "In it with Gargan? What are you talking about!"

Peter tried to explain why he had come to this conclusion, all the while never releasing his hold. "He's never seemed to be on the level to me. Didn't it seem suspicious to you how you met?" Felicia tried to defend him again, but he pressed on. "And what is the first thing that happened after you started dating? You were kidnapped!"

"Just because I was kidnapped, doesn't mean he had anything to do with it!" Black Cat came around to plead with her boyfriend. "Tell him you had nothing to do with it!"

"I… had… nothing… to… do… with… it…" the Dark Crusader managed.

"And what about that vaunted _spider-sense_ of yours? Didn't you tell me that you haven't felt any danger around him? There's no way…" her voice trailed off suddenly.

_Am I overreacting? Stressed out over my family's disappearance?_ He started to let go…

"Wait—" Felicia took a step backward, and a strange look came over her face – a mixture of puzzlement, astonishment and revulsion. "_No…_" her voice was full of confusion.

Peter looked up at her, curious about her sudden change. Her eyes narrowed, and she bared her teeth. "Don't let go, Spider…" With a metallic ring, her claws snapped up from her gloves. "I want a taste of him first."


	9. The Key

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Devil You Don't Know

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 9: The Key

_A few moments ago…_

"Tell him you had nothing to do with this!" Felicia pleaded frantically, shocked at Peter's behavior. She couldn't believe that Peter would just attack him out of the blue like that; it was not his nature. _But why is he so certain that Paul has something to do with his family's kidnapping? _she wondered.

"I… had… nothing… to… do… with… it…" Crusader grated out. _And how could he? He is as much a victim here as the rest of us…_

"And what about that vaunted _spider-sense_ of yours? Didn't you tell me that you haven't felt any danger around him? There's no way…" A thought intruded through the haze. No spider-sense? Maybe that was the key…

Peter had once tried to explain to her the feeling he got when his spider-sense kicked in. Like time was slowing to a crawl, and the only thing you could focus on was the danger. Suddenly, the clues that had been there all along lined themselves up in a row before her. "Wait—" Peter turned his masked head toward her, as she took a step back in shock.

The way bullets had slid from his body… his reaction to the heat from the bank explosion… the way he moved as he bounded through the air… the way he had talked about Spider-Man and Jameson as if he were fully acquainted with both of them… and just how had he really known to come here, anyway…? _Oh, my God…_

"_No…_" She was horrified… repulsed… _Paul **is** Gargan!_

A wave of fury washed over her. "Don't let go, Spider…" she growled. Without a second thought, she popped out the claws in her gloves. "I want a taste of him first."

"What…? Cat?" Paul… or Gargan… tried to seem confused, but now she could see right through him.

She gave him a light kiss on his parted lips. "Did you enjoy that, honey?" Felicia murmured close to his ear. She trailed a sharp claw around the line of his chin. But instead of drawing blood, as she suspected, a thin layer of latex peeled back from the surface. "Because it's the last time you'll _ever_ touch me…" With a harsh tug, she _ripped_ the latex mask from his upturned face.

He blinked once, and then an evil grin spread across his countenance. Peter had stiffened in shock, but quickly recovered, tightening his grip on Gargan's neck. When the villain spoke, his voice held no trace of strain. "But didn't we have fun, kitty cat?"

With a contemptuous shrug, he easily tossed Spider-Man aside like a rag doll. The viscous, black symbiote morphed over his clothing, changing the jumpsuit and boots into the familiar muscular shape of Venom. The symbiote stopped short of covering Gargan's face, however. The man formerly known as the Scorpion was now unmistakable. Bald, sharp featured, a sneer curling his lips. "Parker," he addressed Spider-Man. He pulled stray bits of excess latex from his face as he spoke. "I'm a little surprised that it was the Cat here that figured it out before you." He had dropped his voice a few tones to his normal range.

Spider-Man wasn't riled, or hurt for that matter. He had landed on his feet, already crouched in a combat stance. "Mackie, Mackie, Mackie," he began. "I've known for a while that it was you." Felicia was sure he was bluffing – but she sure as heck wasn't going to let Gargan know that. Spider-Man, meanwhile, continued to taunt the him. "Leaving your webbing residue all over the place was a sure sign, because mine is Grade-A, while yours, well… yours just sucks." He stalked around to Venom's left side, poised to spring. "Where were you when they were passing out villain brains, in the can? That little faux pas of yours led me right to you."

Gargan let out a short, barking laugh. "You don't fool me at all, Parker. You forget, I've seen what a mess you are under that mask." The symbiote slithered over the rest of his features. **_"It burns you up that we have the skank and the hag locked up somewhere, and you have no idea where…"_**

Spider-Man's voice lost its touch of sarcasm. "Tell me where they are, you son of a bitch…"

"**_You'll have to catch us first…"_** With that, Venom leapt into the air and over the side.

Felicia and Peter looked at each other. No words were needed. The two heroes sprang after him, the wind whipping her long, pale strands behind her. She felt a welcome rush of adrenaline course through her – sharpening the edge of the anger she felt. _Thought he could toy with me, did he? _She aimed her grappling hook…

_Ptang!_ The hook shot out violently and embedded in a wall, inches from Venom's swinging form. She swooped toward him, feet first. He laughed wickedly, twisting away from her. _That's right._ Felicia thought angrily._ Enjoy your freedom while you still can, you arrogant bastard. Next time I won't miss._

But her opening salvo had given Spider-Man a chance to gain the upper hand. Peter tackled Venom in mid-air, caring little for how high above the street they were. "Decided to take a page from Osborn's playbook, huh?" He tried to pin Gargan's arms behind him, as they rushed toward the pavement. "Or couldn't you come up with anything more original?"

Venom thudded into the cement, his limbs entangled with Spider-Man's. Without a beat, the fiend pounded a heavy fist into Spider-Man's head**_. "We thought, 'Why mess with tradition?' It pissed you off before…"_** Peter sailed backward, catching himself on a railing. Venom winked one ghoulish white eye at the Black Cat, who had landed beside her friend**_. "And everyone knows how much you care about the women in your life…"_**

He leaped up again, chortling, as if he were playing some twisted game of tag. He swung directly into the oncoming traffic, daring them to follow.

Tires screeching, cars and trucks swerved out of their way. Venom took the path of greatest resistance. He bounded from car to car, swinging between trucks with glee. Spider-Man quickly gained altitude, swinging above the wreckage left in Venom's wake. Felicia breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that if Peter were really hurt, he wouldn't be able to continue the chase.

The Black Cat veered through the maze of vehicles, keeping pace with the monstrous black form. Gargan had made a fool of her, but her pride was not the only thing at stake... Peter had always been there for her, even when she hadn't deserved it. If she didn't help him in his time of need, she didn't deserve to be counted among his friends.

"Spider!" she shouted above the wail of blaring horns and colliding metal, "I'll take him! He's just doing this to distract you!"

"Don't worry, Cat!" Suddenly, he let go of the strand of webbing, and soared into the air, arms outstretched. "I have a few surprises waiting for him."

She grinned, watching him glide through the air. _He wasn't kidding about that new suit…_

Venom didn't even have time to look up as Spider-Man plowed into his back, aiming to knock the scoundrel into an alley. Felicia, meanwhile, vaulted to the roof, dropping down behind Gargan.

Venom stood, shaking slightly as he found himself being stalked by his two opponents. **_"Do you think you have us trapped?"_** he asked wickedly, bearing his slimy teeth. Then, without warning, he slammed his body through a service door, and clambered inside.

Spider-Man and the Black Cat charged in after him, disrupting a brightly lit restaurant kitchen at the height of the dinner hour. Felicia heard shouts for orders turn to screams of terror as they burst through the twisted entrance. "Get down!" she ordered.

All over the kitchen, the wait staff, busboys and chefs hit the floor – and just in time. Spider-Man grabbed the Black Cat around the waist and flipped them both neatly out of the way as a rain of sharp knives planted themselves in the wall behind them.

She saw a large pizza oven, its door left open… Her hook sprang from its holster and attached itself to the back of the oven. Using every last ounce of strength, she pulled the oven toward Venom. Immediately sensing her intentions, Spider-Man vaulted across the stainless steel countertops, ramming Gargan against the open oven door. **_"Arrrggghh!"_** he shrieked. A sickening smell of burning… flesh?... filled Felicia's nostrils.

Venom snarled as he hurtled into the main dining area, which was filled to capacity. Tables overturned and wine bottles shattered while frightened patrons ran for the nearest exit. Spider-Man shot out web-line after web-line, vainly trying to stop Venom, but to no avail. The symbiote crashed through the plate glass window with a roar, with Spider-Man and the Black Cat right behind him…

Felicia and Peter looked at each other, nonplussed. Gargan had vanished completely.

"Crap!" Peter punched the wall beside the ruined window, leaving a sizeable hole. Belatedly realizing that he had caused property damage in front of witnesses, he shot a strand of webbing skyward and vaulted upward out of sight, cursing to himself so softly that only Felicia could hear him.

Felicia shrugged at the curious faces peeking out of the restaurant, and quickly followed.

She found Peter crouched on the roof above, still as a gargoyle. "Spider…?" she offered.

"Gargan never used to be that difficult to beat, Cat," he said tonelessly. "I should have had him, no problem. He's cleverer than I remembered…and a lot more dangerous."

She crouched beside him, and placed a hand around his shoulders. He never turned from gazing toward the city lights. "And you are one of the smartest guys I know. It's different now that he's bonded with that thing." She gave his shoulder a squeeze. "We'll get that bastard. He really doesn't know who he's messing with here."

His trance broken, he nodded. "You're right. Time to plan." Peter laughed a little self-consciously as he stood up. "Thanks for not letting me stew in my own angst."

She winked one brilliant emerald eye. "What are friends for?"

Gargan reappeared slowly, his figure coming into focus. The symbiote rapidly transformed into a pair of jeans and a light jacket, completely non-descript. He watched Parker and Hardy swing off, presumably toward Stark Tower. Smiling slightly, he headed off down the sidewalk, in the opposite direction.

* * *

Mary Jane went over to the cot, gently awaking the sleeping May and explained, "I think I found a way out of here."

"How so, dear?"

"With these."

Mary Jane lifted the silvery bracelets on each wrist into the light. "Peter gave these to me last Valentine's Day..."

May looked at them, confused. But she couldn't know that these weren't your run-of-the-mill costume jewelry pieces. They were specially designed web-shooters, so that if Mary Jane ever needed to defend herself, she would be able to. _And I needed them sooner than either of us could have figured,_ she thought anxiously. "Here, I'll show you..." She pressed the triggers, and with a _thwip_, two fine cords of webbing shot out and struck the bars across the cell.

May gasped. "Oh, my!"

"I tried to use them when Venom grabbed me, but the way he pinned my hands, I couldn't reach the triggers." She walked over to the bars of the cell. "But these are very useful contraptions…"

Sticking her hand outside their cell, Mary Jane aimed to fire webbing into the lock, just like Peter would have done. She made sure that the lock was completely filled with the web fluid with just a little excess sticking out.

May watched as Mary Jane completed her task and asked, "What is that going to do?"

"Peter once told me that his webbing hardens once he sprays it inside a lock, so that it acts like a key. I have no idea if he ever tested that theory, but if it can get us out of here…"

The next part of the plan was indeed the most difficult, waiting for the webbing to harden. Luckily, it did not take long.

"Let's give it a try," Mary Jane said, giving the web 'key' a clockwise turn.

With a miraculous _click_, the door swung open.

"Time to go, Aunt May," Mary Jane said, overwhelmed with relief at their relatively painless escape. Mary Jane quickly closed the cell door and locked it. "The webbing should dissolve in about an hour," she warned. "Venom will be none the wiser."

But now they had the door to the room to worry about. There wasn't a keyhole to fill with web fluid on this door… Mary Jane turned the knob, but it was locked, of course.

"Now what?" she wondered aloud. On a whim, she pulled on the doorknob, not really expecting it to do much good. But without warning, the door popped open. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, surprised.

_The door must not have shut completely when he left._ Well, his negligence was their opportunity. She carefully opened the door to see if there was anyone out in the hall. "I think we should get out while the getting's good." Taking May's hand, she led the elderly lady out of the room, closing the door behind them.

They entered a lighted hallway with doors on either side. As they slowly checked each one, Mary Jane was very conscious of the time. _How long before that monster discovers we're missing? _The feeling of dread felt overwhelming as they discovered that most of them were locked or simply led to an empty room. _Peter,_ she pleaded silently, _I never meant to leave things between us so unsettled. __Please, darling, find us soon…_

"Mary Jane, I think I found a way out of here," May said happily, breaking MJ out of her trance.

"Good going, May."

May had revealed a dark stairwell, heading downward. Wishing for a spider-sense tingle, the two women crept carefully down the few stairs. Mary Jane fumbled around for the doorknob, and opened the door… to total darkness.

_Damn it,_ she thought. _What now?_ "You go to the right, I'll go to the left. Maybe there's a light switch."

Her hands felt carefully along the walls. The air was filled with an odd smell she couldn't quite place. The smooth plaster ended in what felt like… a window frame. But why was there no light, not even moonlight?

From down the hallway, she heard May call out, "I think I found the switch, dear."

The lights went on, briefly blinding her. When she looked around, she was dumbfounded at what greeted her eyes.

The hallway that lay before them was nearly identical to the one they had left. With one exception.

Directly in front of her, the window she had found was completely plastered over. Freshly plastered. All up and down the hallway, every window had been sealed off the same way.

May's voice was filled with the same exasperation and fear that MJ was feeling. "Here we go again."


	10. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Happy Birthday a couple days late to our dear friend, Jenn1! If you aren't reading it, please go and read _Brother: Love and Adversity_. Show the Spider-Man love!**

**A/N: Happy Birthday a couple days late to our dear friend, Jenn1! If you aren't reading it, please go and read _Brother: Love and Adversity_. Show the Spider-Man love!**

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 10: Preparations

"Jarvis, have you seen Tony?" Peter asked stepping into the main living area of Stark Tower with Felicia a few steps behind him.

Jarvis quickly replied, "I believe Master Stark is in the lab."

"Thanks."

Jarvis stopped them as they left. "Master Parker, how goes the search for May and Ms. Watson-Parker?"

Peter released a sigh and faced him. "We haven't found them, at least not yet… but we know who took them. That's why we need to see Tony." Putting both of his hands on Jarvis' shoulders, Peter continued, "We'll find them, don't you worry about that."

"I know you will, sir," Jarvis said with a smile, lessening Peter's anxiety as well as his own.

As they rode the elevator down to the lab, Felicia asked. "So… Jarvis. He really cares about your aunt, doesn't he, Peter?"

Peter nodded. "It's nice to see Aunt May has someone special in her life again."

They were both silent for a moment. Then Felicia added, "And… 'Tony?' I didn't know you were on a first-name basis with the billionaire playboy." She looked at him, interestedly, waiting for the answer.

Peter froze. He had forgotten about the fact that, although many people suspected that he was still the "man in the iron suit," Over the years, Tony Stark had been steadfastly denying that he was Iron Man. He had even deployed a few remotely controlled robots to perpetuate the illusion.

"Well, um," Peter stammered. "He _does_ fund the Avengers and was gracious enough to allow my family to live here. There are no secret identities among the team and its sponsor."

"Uh huh," she said, with a trace of a smirk.

"Tony and I also have more in common as far as scientific interests than the rest of the team… so we've become pretty close. He designed my new threads, you know."

Thankfully Felicia didn't push the conversation any further. As the doors to the lab opened they found Tony Stark hunched over a workbench, busying himself with Iron Man's armor.

"Tony, do you have a minute?"

"I'll be with you in a second, Peter," replied Tony. He noticed the Black Cat beside Peter. "Ms. Hardy." His eyebrows raised a fraction, but he explained. "Iron Man asked me to run a diagnostic on his armor." He quickly typed a few commands on the keyboard. "There, all done. What can I do for the two of you?"

"Would it be possible to outfit the waldoes on my costume with sonic disruptors?" Peter inquired.

Tony contemplated Peter's question for a few seconds. "That shouldn't be a problem. But why do you need sonic disruptors anyway?"

"Venom," Felicia answered.

"Venom…" Tony repeated as he pondered Peter's unusual request. "Is that the one who…"

"Who grabbed Mary Jane and Aunt May?" Peter interrupted, "Yes."

"He has been masquerading as the Dark Crusader," Felicia added with more than a hint of anger and bitterness. Peter put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, knowing that she was having a tough time dealing with it.

"The Dark Crusader? Who's that?" Tony asked.

"A 'new' superhero I ran into a couple of weeks ago. He seemed nice enough. In the last several days, we spent a lot of time together… righting wrongs… stuff like that." She paused, looking chagrined. "But things weren't adding up. His aversion to heat, for instance, and knowing Peter a lot more intimately than he should have." She faltered briefly before regaining her composure. "There were other things too, like his quick changes and his need to hide behind a mask …" She looked away, clearly angry and upset at being duped. "That bastard played me like a fool, and I didn't even see it coming."

"I see," Stark replied, not completely without sympathy.

"In the end, we both figured it out," Peter added, sympathetically patting her on the back. "He led us on a merry chase through the city until we lost him. The next time we meet, and I _know_ there will be a next time, I want to be ready for him."

"All right, why don't you assist me so that you'll know how to operate the waldoes. Then I'll contact Captain America and the other Avengers…"

"No!" Peter interjected urgently. "If Gargan sees every Avenger, he'll get spooked and disappear. And that's the last thing I'd want."

"Fair enough. Let's get to work on those modifications."

* * *

The deeper into the bowels of the building they ventured, the darker it became. They had to search for lights every time they found another floor. Mary Jane was beginning to feel like a lab rat, trapped in a maze. Feeling more and more claustrophobic, she tried to keep her breathing even as her hands trailed against the rough wall. Her fingers stopped on a rough edge. It felt like… a crack in the plaster, right above a sill of one of the filled-in windows. "May," she called out. "Have you found the lights yet?"

"Not yet, dear," May whispered, trying to contain her own anxiety. "I'm getting close to where they were located on the last floor, though." MJ could hear May's feet shuffle across the floor. "Oh, here they are, Mary Jane…" _Click._

Nothing.

May clicked them back and forth several times, just to be sure. "Oh, dear. They don't seem to be working."

To Mary Jane, the sensation of walls pressing on her suddenly got stronger. "That's okay," she said bravely, feeling nothing of the sort, "Can you make it over here? I think I found something."

May started to move toward Mary Jane. "That's it," M.J. encouraged. "I think we're at the other end of the hallway…" Suddenly, a loud clunk made them jump.

"Oh!" May yelped. "Sorry – I kicked something on the floor."

"Wait a minute, May. Can you pick it up?"

"I'll try…" Her hands cautiously felt around for whatever it was she had kicked. "I think it's a piece of wood."

In the darkness, Mary Jane smiled. "Bring it over to me, if you can."

After a few moments, MJ felt the gentle tap of the wood against her arm. She grabbed it, and carefully traced its length with her hands. It seemed to be about a half a yard long, mostly smooth, like a piece of a two-by-four. But even if she had no clue _what_ it was, that didn't mean she didn't know what to _do_ with it.

She felt along the wall for the crack in the plaster she had found, and took a few steps back. "Be careful, May, I'm going to try to crack the plaster off of one of the windows with this."

She hammered the blunt end of the board into the wall ahead of her. Once. Twice. Again, as hard as she could. She couldn't tell if she was making any progress in the blackness. Wiping sweat from her brow with one arm, she took a quick breather.

And then she heard the trickle of powdered chunks hitting the tile floor. Feeling renewed strength, she _whacked_ the wall 10 times in quick succession. A tiny hole let a beam of bright light into the hallway. She began working on the hole, making it larger and larger, until it was a foot in diameter.

"It looks like we're a couple floors up," MJ informed the other Mrs. Parker. "I can see a streetlight, about twenty five or thirty feet down. Let me see if I can make this opening a little bigger."

She slammed the two-by-four into the edges of the plaster repeatedly, but once the hole was about the width of the window, her strength had failed. "Why don't you…" she breathed heavily, "…go and check the stairwell door."

But May had already explored that possibility. "It's locked, Mary Jane. I think that window might be the only way out of here." Her worried face, smudged with a little plaster, came closer as she stood beside MJ again. She turned to look out of the window. "How many floors up do you think we are?"

"Two… or three…" she panted.

"Here, let me, Mary Jane." May gestured toward the board, which was now on the floor.

MJ could only nod.

May reared back, and with every ounce of strength her frail body could muster, she broke the window with a mighty wallop.

MJ laughed through her exhaustion. "You go, girl!"

The older woman seemed a bit shocked. "I didn't know I had it in me!"

Together, they cleared the sharp edges away. Feeling better, MJ put her head through the opening and looked down to the street below. She could see that they were on the second floor, but it was still too high up to jump.

The street below them seemed totally deserted. Their kidnapper had picked his location well.

Mary Jane was at a loss as to what to do next when May suddenly spoke up. "Dear," she began, "those 'shooters' you have… could they make a rope? I don't think I could handle swinging down. But maybe we could try climbing?"

Mary Jane placed her hands on May's shoulders, and kissed her happily on the cheek. "That's brilliant! Why Peter didn't tell you about his 'other life' _years_ ago, I'll never know…"

Mary Jane worked as quickly as she could, well aware that Venom could show up at any moment. Even though she had practiced using them with Peter, it took her several tries before she was able to fashion a rope that looked strong enough to hold their combined weight. After lashing the webline to a protruding beam and testing its strength, Mary Jane carefully climbed over the edge of the hole and slowly moved downward, hand over hand, locking the line between her feet to keep from slipping. May followed suit, cautiously inching her way down. When M.J. came to within five feet of the sidewalk, she dropped, bending her knees upon landing to absorb the shock of the impact. As soon as May was within reach, M.J. quickly helped her down.

"Do you know where we are?" May asked tentatively.

"The buildings around here are a little too tall for me to see any landmarks," Mary Jane replied as she, surveyed the scene. "But we should be able to flag a taxi down or something. Let's just get out of here as quickly as we can."

They headed down the street as quickly as May could move. Minutes passed, and they never saw a soul. No people, no cars…

But directly ahead, a pay phone. "Thank God!" Mary Jane ran to yank the receiver off of the hook. She punched zero for the operator with a jab. "Hello? A collect call for Stark Tower…" She rattled off the number for the private Avengers' friends-and-family line. No sense messing around. "…from Mary Jane Watson-Parker."

* * *

As Peter was putting the finishing touches on his suit, the phone interrupted him. "Hello?"

_"Master Parker."_ Jarvis' voice was professional as always, but was now tinged with urgency. _"I am putting Ms. Watson-Parker through now..."_

_Mary Jane, thank God!_ Peter thought, overwhelmed by a huge sense of relief. "Okay, Jarvis." _I hope she's all right._

_"Peter?"_ his wife breathed anxiously. _"It's MJ. Are you there?"_

"I'm here, sweetheart. Are you all right? Do you know where Aunt May is?"

_"She's right here with me. We're both fine,"_ she assured him. _"Thank God we found a telephone..."_ She hurried on, _"I don't know how much time we have before Venom figures out that we escaped."_

"MJ, do you know where you are?"

_"I've been trying to figure it out for the last few blocks. No street signs... I can't see any landmarks... And we can't find anyone around to ask..."_

"That's alright, MJ. I'm tracing the call right now and once I know where you are, I'll pick the both of you up in no time."

Her voice became even more breathless. _"Hurry, Peter. All I could think about this whole time was--"_

"I know what you mean. That's all I thought about too and I want--"

_"--I didn't mean to say--"_

"--to make things right between--"

She laughed. _"Oh, Peter. You know I lo--"_ The line went dead, mid-word.

"MJ? MJ? Are you still there?" Peter exclaimed with worry.

"Peter…" Felicia began.

Peter interrupted her, exclaiming, "Damn it!" He slammed down the receiver, shattering it to pieces.

"What's the matter?"

"The phone line went dead. I just hope we talked long enough for the trace to work," Peter replied, frustration tingeing his voice.

"It'll work. By the way, what was all that talk about 'I'm' going to get Venom? What about me? I have as much at stake as you do in this."

"I know you do Felicia, but I've always thought of Venom as being _my_ problem. It's extremely dangerous dealing with him and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Thanks for your concern," she said, determined. "But I want to help, and if that means getting my claws a little dirty now and then, so be it. We're in this thing together, Peter."

A beeping sound was heard and Peter went over to the computer to check it out.

"Yes! We got a location on where MJ and Aunt May are," Peter said excitedly. "Hopefully with the additions to the suit we can tackle Venom with little to no problem."

He memorized the location from the computer screen, stepped into the lab's bathroom, and emerged fully garbed as Spider-Man.

"Come on, let's move!" Peter barked as he headed out of the lab, "Before anything else happens to them."

Felicia drew a quick bead on the location of Mary Jane and May. "I'll meet you there. I think I have an idea… Don't start the party without me."

* * *

Suddenly, something yanked the receiver from Mary Jane's hand. She jerked back as a glob of whitish-gray webbing tore the entire telephone from the apparatus. The two women shrieked in surprise and fear.

Venom towered over them, chuckling darkly. **_"Well, we should have known Parker wouldn't shack up with a brainless twit. We didn't think we'd need it for the two of you, but luckily, we still have some sedative left…"_**

Mary Jane did the only thing that came to mind. She quickly aimed and shot twin lines of webbing at his face. Unfortunately, they sputtered out and fell short of their target. _Damn! I knew we used too much on that rope…_

"**_Nice try, cupcake."_** He wrapped them both up easily in his own webbing. **_"But you're not going anywhere."_**


	11. Turning Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **AN: Hey everybody, Mark C here. This is the penultimate chapter to our story here and I hope you like it. I would like to dedicate this chapter to my writing partner, htbthomas. We had a great time writing this story together and she let me run wild with this chapter. Enjoy.**

**AN: Hey everybody, Mark C here. This is the penultimate chapter to our story here and I hope you like it. I would like to dedicate this chapter to my writing partner, htbthomas. We had a great time writing this story together and she let me run wild with this chapter. Enjoy.**

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 11: Turning Point

Scooping his two captives and holding them under one arm, Venom leapt forward with a snarl. He took off swinging, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the location of that telephone call. But he wasn't quite through toying with Spider-Man, not yet anyway.

"Where do you think you're taking us?" Mary Jane demanded to know, her bravado masking fear.

"**_Don't you worry your pretty head over that, Red,"_** Venom growled. Truth be told, he wasn't completely sure where they were going, since both of his hideouts had probably been compromised.

May struggled in vain to free herself from Venom's now-hardened web cocoon, which only came up to their shoulders. "Sakes alive, young man," the old woman said sharply. "I don't understand why you have to go around kidnapping helpless women. With all those powers, you should be helping people, like my—"

He cut her off viciously.

_"**Shut your pie hole – and that goes for you too, Red. We ain't nothin' like your beloved nephew. The only thing we're doing with these powers is taking care of ourselves.**"_

With his free arm, he fired a web strand and swung his way to a nearby rooftop with his passengers. _Gotta change plans, and quickly, _he thought anxiously_. Before we know it, Parker'll be right on our tail…_

His captives suddenly got very quiet. He looked to see what the matter was…

_Wham! _A pair of armored boots slammed Venom in the back. The force of the blow made him lose his grip on his captives, sending him off the roof and through a window of a neighboring building.

"Are you two all right?" Peter asked, slicing them out of their cocoons with the mechanical waldoes.

"We're fine, Tiger," replied Mary Jane, relieved, as she shrugged her way out of hers.

"Who knows what that ruffian would've done to us if you hadn't shown up," May added.

His family now safe, he had but one loose end to tie up. "Will you two be all right up here?" He nodded toward the site of Venom's crash landing. "I need to take care of tall, dark and gruesome."

"Just be careful," MJ replied, eyes full of strength tempered by deep concern for her husband's safety.

"Aren't I always?" he replied as he jumped off the roof and swung down toward the smashed window in search of his arch-foe.

But Spider-Man could find no trace of Venom, even with his enhanced night vision and the audio receptors hidden in his mask. "Oh, where, oh, where has my little Venom gone? Oh, where, oh, where can he be?" he mocked in a singsong voice as he continued his search.

"**_We're right behind you, Spider-prick,"_** Venom said, lunging at the startled wallcrawler.

Even with his new heightened spider-sense, Spider-Man was not able to overcome the advantage that Venom had always had over him – the ability to neutralize his precognition. Venom easily tackled him, knocking the wind out of him. Like a punch-drunk boxer, Spider-Man struggled to his feet. But the former Scorpion had other ideas.

"**_Let's see how _you_ like being tossed through something, webhead,"_** Venom growled. He grabbed Spider-Man by the arm and leg and hurled him around like a discus. Instead of going through a window, Spidey went through a wall.

_It's times like these that I just absolutely love this new costume_, Spider-Man thought as he got up from the debris. _It can really take the punishment… but I don't want to keep putting that to the test._ Through the dust, he noticed a figure coming towards him. _Uh oh, round two coming up._

"**_Well, that was fun,"_ **the slimy black symbiote sneered as he approached._ **"We'd sure like to see that again."**_

This time, Spider-Man was ready. He fired two extra-thick strands of webbing as Venom came into optimum range. With the force of cannonballs, the semi-fluidic projectiles struck his enemy in the mid-section, knocking him backwards. Seeing that the weblines were stuck fast, Spider-man yanked Venom towards him like he was roping a bull at a rodeo. As soon as he had Venom in close enough, he delivered two powerful punches to Venom's head, sending him hurtling backward through the hole he had made and out onto the street below.

Spider-Man peered cautiously through the gaping hole. Thankfully, no one else was around. But looking down, he could just make out the look on his opponent's face. _I think I just made him angrier_… _oh, well. Once more into the breach_, he thought as he jumped out of the opening to face Venom again.

Although it had been a long drop, the fall hadn't hurt Venom. It only made him more furious. He _ripped_ a lamppost right out of the pavement, and swatted Spider-Man out of the air. The force of the blow sent Spider-Man careening across the street and into a nearby building. Unable to recover in time to fire a webline, Spider-Man fell more than three stories to the sidewalk below.

"**_We're going to squash you like the bug that you are,"_** Venom threatened, as he brandished the ruined streetlight like a hockey stick.

As he lay prone on the concrete, Venom swung his weapon. Acting on pure survival instinct, Spider-Man suddenly reached out and caught it forcefully between his hands. "How many times do I have to tell you," Spider-Man said exasperatedly, as if talking to a dunce. He quickly webbed Venom's hands to the pole, and, turning the tables on the monstrous black symbiote, Spider-Man violently swung the creature back and forth between two concrete walls facing each other across an alley. " I'm… not… a bug… I'm… an… _arachnid_!" he shouted, accentuating each word upon impact.

Unfortunately, Venom was able to shake off the effects of the last couple of blows fairly quickly. He freed himself from Spider-Man's webbing and pulled a huge chunk of wall from a nearby building, hurling it towards Spider-Man in one massive heave.

"Nyah, nyah. Missed me," Spider-Man taunted from his perch on the side of a building across the street as he intercepted the enormous bulk with a web net.

Furious, Venom ripped up a huge slab of asphalt from the street and hurled it toward Spider-Man. Just as before, Spidey caught it in a web and threw it right back striking Venom squarely in the chest. The force of the blow sent Venom careening into a fire hydrant, knocking it over and opening up a geyser.

"What's the matter, Venny? _Itsy bitsy spider_ too much for you?"

Venom let out a blood-curdling yell. _Uh oh, now I've done it,_ Peter thought, as the enraged symbiote clad maniac threw an abandoned car at him. He barely got out of the way in time. Debris from the car crashing into the edifice rained down everywhere. However, that was the least of his problems. The embedded car caught fire and exploded with a resounding _**boom**,_taking a good part of the building with it.

As he hit the ground, Spider-Man created a web-shield to protect himself from the falling debris. But no sooner had he landed when he suddenly found himself hurtling through the air once more. Venom had thrown him with such force that he smashed through the wall of another building, destroying a sign that read, _'Condemned. Scheduled for demolition in 60 days'_. Gargan bounded in after him and tried to pound him mercilessly until the wallcrawler delivered a double boot to the stomach that would have knocked a bank vault door right off its hinges.

As he shook off the effects of the beating he had taken from Venom, Spider-Man decided the time had come. Slowly getting up, he released the waldoes.

Venom glanced over the mechanical arms contemptuously. **_"What the hell are _those things _for? You gonna tickle me to death or something?" _**

"Not exactly," Spider-Man replied grimly as the waldoes released a sonic wave aimed right at his enemy.

"**_!"_** Venom screamed, unable to tolerate the sonic blasts being trained on him. To Spider-Man's relief, the symbiote began to slowly separate from Gargan.

"Stop, please stop!" Gargan shouted. "The pain… Oh, the pain!"

_Serves you right for hurting my friends and family_, Spider-Man thought, never ceasing his attack until the symbiote was completely off of Gargan, who was now out cold. Once the sonics were turned off, he noticed that the building they were in was creaking rather loudly and that plaster was falling from the ceiling. The walls began to shake and then part of the ceiling came crashing down.

"I guess it's time we got out of here," Spider-Man said as he slung Gargan over his shoulder and exited the building. Unbeknownst to the wallcrawler, a small part of the symbiote attached itself to Gargan's foot.

Once outside and a safe distance away, Spider-Man placed Gargan on the ground just as the building collapsed completely.

"I guess that's one less building the city needs to worry about," Spider-Man remarked, watching the dust rise from what was left of the foundation.

"**_But you still have to worry about us,"_** a revived Venom said, standing behind Spider-Man.

Spider-Man turned around and was sent flying by a fist to the jaw. Twisting in midair, Spider-Man tried to use the sonics in the waldoes again… they fired a short burst… but then fizzled out as he landed on the ground a few feet from Venom. _Did they overload? Damn, there wasn't time to field-test the things…_

_Now, what?_ Peter thought, as Venom once again advanced on him. _And where the heck is Felicia? I could really use her help right now…_ But both of their heads turned quickly as a piercing scream rang out a block or so away.


	12. The Cat Comes Out to Play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Well, here's the last chapter folks. Mark and I had a fabulous time doing this, hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we did writing. Thanks to the great reviewers we've had on the story - we love you all. If we haven't responded to the last few chapters worth of reviews, you can blame me (and my Superman Returns story, Déjà Vu) for that, and not Mark! We will work hard to finish that up to show how much we appreciate you. :)**

**A/N: Well, here's the last chapter folks. Mark and I had a fabulous time doing this, hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we did writing. Thanks to the great reviewers we've had on the story - we love you all. If we haven't responded to the last few chapters worth of reviews, you can blame me (and my Superman Returns story, Déjà Vu) for that, and not Mark! We will work hard to finish that up to show how much we appreciate you. :)**

**And this time, Mark let _me_ run wild...**

The Devil You Don't Know

Chapter 12: The Cat Comes Out to Play

_Scrrrrreeeeeeeee! _Felicia tore around the corner, and weaved through traffic the best she knew how. She winced as she almost sideswiped another car. _God – how long has it been since you last drove a car, Felicia? This is why most New Yorkers take the subway!_

But she'd had little choice. The present she had for Gargan in the back seat weighed at least 50 pounds. There was _no_ way she was going to be able to swing across New York with that thing strapped to her back. Luckily, some double-parked idiot made it easy to get on the road right away. She only hoped she'd be in time.

Felicia turned another corner, narrowly avoiding a pedestrian, and peered down the road. She thought she was close to the location on the GPS trace, but everything appeared so differently from a street level perspective. So she kept the accelerator pressed down, not hesitating to run stoplights when she had to.

As she approached the danger zone, her eyes widened slightly, and then she chuckled. Before her, she saw such a swath of destruction that she knew they must be around here somewhere. "Boys, boys," she chided them facetiously to herself. "I leave you alone for a few minutes, and look what happens?"

She stopped the car, caring little where she left it, and hefted the "present" out of the back seat. Before she could even wonder which building to search, she heard a low rumbling sound and watched, one of the condemned buildings nearby imploded inward with a deafening crash. The falling walls radiated shockwaves in all directions, shaking the buildings and crumbling the walls around her.

Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out above her. She looked up in time to see two figures clinging to the fire escape of the building above. One of them, a woman with long hair, was dangling precariously by one hand. The other, an older woman, was reaching out toward her companion.

She squinted upward, and realized with a jolt, _Mary Jane? May?_

Dropping the machinery quickly on the pavement, she shot a grappling hook to snag the ledge and sprang toward them. At that moment, Mary Jane's fingers slipped from the railing. _Please, God, let me not be too late. Peter will never forgive me…_

She tried to time her swing just so… and grabbed the falling woman around the waist. Mary Jane looked into Felicia's eyes with surprise. Clearly she had not expected her husband's ex-girlfriend to show up out of nowhere to save her.

"Uh…" Mary Jane began, and then her surprise turned to warm gratitude. "Thanks, Felicia."

The Black Cat smiled. "No problem."

Before the inevitable awkward silence could ensue, the vigilante shot her hook again toward the fire escape, retrieving Peter's aunt with little trouble. But there was no time for small talk.

"You guys see that car over there?" the Black Cat pointed out. "The red sports car?" They nodded. "Follow this street away from the war zone and you should be able to get to some help." Mary Jane grabbed May's hand and led her through the rubble to the car. "Oh, and Red?"

Mary Jane looked back at her, amused. "The car's 'borrowed.' You might want to ditch it as soon as possible."

May looked a little offended, but Mary Jane let out a short laugh. "Okay, Cat." She started to open the car door, but paused. "Go and kick some symbiotic ass."

Felicia hoisted the weapon she had brought along onto her back. "You know it, girl."

_Crash!_ Glass rained down on the street several yards away. As the sports car peeled away in a tight U-turn, Felicia smiled grimly. _All right,_ she thought, _Show time._

She climbed slowly, carefully, up the side of the building. The weight on her back made it impossible to go much faster. She could hear shouts and crashes as the two men battled somewhere above her. Another window shattered directly above. She protected her face with one arm as glass splintered in all directions. She looked up. Venom held Spider-Man's neck against the window frame, his head sticking out into the open air.

"_**Your little tentacles don't seem to be helping you now, Parker. Tsk, tsk. All that state of the art technology, just gone to waste."**_ Venom's tongue lolled out around his grotesque teeth.

_What happened with the sonic disruptors in the waldoes? _she thought. _Why in hell didn't they . . . uh oh!_

Venom suddenly caught sight of her. **_"Ah, kitty cat," _**he laughed harshly.**_ "Come to play?"_**

"Yes, honey," she called back. "I'm here to get you between my claws…"

Just as Cat finished her arduous ascent, Spider-Man broke free of Venom's grip and nailed him hard, driving him backward with a single punch to the symbiote's grotesque jaw. She clambered through the jagged edges of the window, watching the arch-adversaries circle each other, trying to find a way to break the stalemate.

Neither of them paid any attention to her, so focused were they on trying to pound each other into oblivion.

_Well, _Cat thought as she brought the hose stub into position. _Peter I can forgive, but Gargan… time to make him regret he ever laid eyes on me…_ Without further ado, she released the safety catch. Without giving either one of them a second's warning, she squeezed the trigger with a growl.

Sensing right away what was coming, Spider-Man quickly dove out of the way. Gargan looked up at Felicia just in time to get a face full of shooting flame.

His eerie double-scream peeled in the air, and he clutched his face and stumbled back. Felicia readjusted the flamethrower on her shoulder with a determined grimace. Before he could recover, she shot another jet of flame at him. The symbiote began to shrink away from his blistered skin in the spots the heat had touched, as Gargan panted in the corner of the room. Her aim had been perfect, but even so, the residual sparks had set a few tiny fires, which began to lick at the walls

Cat continued to stalk Gargan with the flamethrower, keeping the nozzle pointed squarely at his head. Spider-Man, thankfully, stayed back, ready to help if needed. He seemed to understand that she needed to _burn_ this jackass to cinders.

"Just one thing before I boil that alien sludge off of you, and leave your naked body hanging upside-down from a street light…" Her green eyes flashed with rage. Her voice lowered to a snarl. "You could have done anything… why did you try to seduce me?"

By now, his head was uncovered. A sneer crept across his face, and he laughed hoarsely. "I know what kind of men you like… mysterious… noble… confident but soul-searching…" He nodded at Spider-Man. "Just like Parker over there." As he continued to talk, he grew more bold. "You know, you want people to think you are a tigress, but under all that, you're just a kitten."

With a burst of strength that seemed to surprise even Gargan, the symbiote smashed through the burning wall, and plummeted to the alley below. It slithered over his form as he put distance between himself and the fire.

Cat's lips quivered in annoyance. But at least she had her answer; and she could roast him with a clear conscience. "Peter," she stopped the webslinger before he could dash headlong after Venom, "Could you give me a lift?"

Her only answer was a strong arm around the waist. Together, they searched for Venom until they found him crawling up the side of a building, quite obviously on the run -- the only option left to the defeated symbiote.

Spider-Man shot a double dose of webbing at Gargan's retreating form, and tried to yank him down to the asphalt, only to see him break free. As he ripped the webbing from his arms, he barked scornfully, **_"You might as well forget it - out in the open air, I can leap higher than you can shoot that thing, Cat. And Spider-Man, now you see me…"_ **He began to fade into the brickwork before their eyes.

She shot at him blindly, and his laughter echoed around them. But to her astonishment, Spider-Man's mechanical waldoes sprang from the holder on his back, and shot a piercing sonic burst in all directions. She flinched and brought her hands over her ears in pain. But Venom's form flickered in and out of view, and the waldoes trained on him. She fought past the distraction and added a jet of flame. Crippled by the combination of the heat and sonic blasts, Gargan curled up into a fetal ball.

The symbiote slid from his body, trying to escape. Spider-Man webbed his enemy from neck to foot, while she blasted the alien slime before it could get away. Bubbling and smoking, the substance became a disgusting smear.

She slinked over to Gargan, who looked up at her from his cocoon with something like terror, and gave him a seductive smile. "Asshole," she growled through her teeth, and kicked him in the mouth, hard. They both heard a sound like a penny dropping on the pavement… a tooth skittered several feet before coming to rest.

Spider-Man immediately used his waldoes to meticulously scrape up all of the symbiotic mess. When Felicia gave him a curious look, he replied matter-of-factly, "I know better than to leave this stuff lying around. It has more lives than _you_, Cat."

* * *

_Epilogue:_

Felicia watched Peter throw his arms around his wife. She and Peter had finally found Mary Jane in the Avengers' common room on the top floor. He spun her around, laughing deliriously.

Mary Jane laughed with him as he set her down. "I missed you, Tiger," she said, giving him a long kiss. Felicia thought maybe she should look away…

When the two finally came up for air, Peter replied, "And I you, sweetheart."

He touched his forehead to hers, and they looked into each other's eyes with a silly grin. Then the redhead shuddered and pulled back. "Even after all this time, Venom makes my skin crawl. It doesn't matter who is wearing that alien slime, I hate it."

"I know what you mean." Peter reassured Mary Jane by rubbing her back.

The reference brought Felicia back in time for a few moments. She and Peter had been deep into their relationship when he had first begun wearing the symbiote. At the time, he had been quite enamored with the thing, and its ability to produce webbing on its own. And it didn't hurt that it could change to any appearance with a thought.

But not long after Mary Jane had come back into his life, he had realized that the suit was something _more_ than just a suit. Remembering that Reed Richards had offered to examine it, Peter took him up on his offer. During the examination, both Reed and Peter found out that the suit was alive and wanted to bond with him. Using a sonic blaster, Mr. Fantastic was able to separate Peter from the alien symbiote and contain it, but the symbiote somehow managed later to escape. Peter had no end of trouble with it from that moment on.

It seemed that they all were remembering the same thing, and everyone was quiet for several seconds. May, who had just come in behind them, spoke up. "Peter!"

Realizing that he had forgotten her, Peter said, "I'm sorry Aunt May. I'm glad you're all right, too." Peter went over to his aunt and gave her a warm hug.

"Thanks to you, my dear." The older woman buried her face in his broad chest for a moment, closing her eyes. Then her perky gray head shot up, and she asked cheerfully, "Anyone for some tea?"

"Now, May," Jarvis clucked at her, "You have been through a traumatic experience. It's my job, _I_ will go get the tea." He appeared relieved that she was out of harm's way again.

As she watched the two couples interact, Felicia felt like an outsider. Was she meant to always make bad choices? Always be alone?

Peter and Mary Jane held hands, murmuring to each other as they sat at the table. _I should just go_, Felicia thought. _I don't belong here…_

She suddenly felt a touch on her arm, and she looked down to see Peter's aunt standing beside her. "Felicia, dear, thank you for your help today."

"It was the least I could doPeter has helped me more times than I can count." As she talked to the kind older woman, she kept sending glances over to her ex-boyfriend.

May seemed to realize this, for she gently asked, "Please, have a seat next to me on the couch." She let May lead her over to the sofa to sit. Then May took her hand into her soft wrinkled one, and continued, "I know it must be hard to see that. But it will get better, you know."

Felicia gave a short, mirthless laugh. "How do you know that?"

"Oh, honey, it took me a _long_ time to get over my dear Ben. And between then and now, I dated some real doozies." She chuckled. "Did Peter ever tell you how I almost married Otto Octavius?"

"Doctor Octopus?" Felicia asked, aghast.

"The very same." She smiled a knowing smile, and squeezed her hand tighter. "The Parker men are notoriously difficult to get over, my dear. But even an old girl like me knows you have to keep trying."

Felicia smiled warmly at the older lady. "I'll try to remember that." As she looked at Peter and Mary Jane again, she realized that the jealousy she was feeling was _not _that Peter was happily married to another woman. It was that she was not in a happy relationship herself. And something clicked inside. Maybe she should stop looking for 'Peter replacements' and just live her life. The right man would be there for her, someday.

Jarvis came back into the common room with a pot of tea and several cups. Felicia watched May assist Jarvis in passing out the cups and smiled when Jarvis placed a chaste kiss on May's cheek.

"Jeez," a gruff voice commented. "Why don't you two get a _room_ or something." Logan, the man better known as Wolverine, stood there in the doorway.

"Mr. Logan, mind your manners," May scolded, bringing a chuckle from Peter, Mary Jane and Felicia.

"Logan," Peter drew her over toward his teammate. "You remember Felicia Hardy?"

"Should I?" Logan asked, shaking hands with Felicia.

"Sometime ago our paths crossed… and not in a pleasant way, I might add," she said, remembering that time painfully well. She also remembered being quite impressed with his prowess as a fighter. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, either.

"I'm sorry darlin,' if I hurt you in any way. I've had my head screwed with so many times in the past, it's hard to remember certain things." Logan said brusquely, but sincerely.

"Apology accepted, then," Felicia said, taking his oddly smooth one in hers to shake again.

He directed his next comments to May. "I'm going out for a smoke since _some_ people around here don't like me doing that inside. Catch you all later." Logan went out through the exit that led outside.

Peter cocked his head at Felicia. "So, what do you think of Logan?"

Felicia gazed through the windows, and saw his silhouette against the sunset, smoke from his cigar rising into the air. "He's all right, I guess, but I really doubt that we'll see each other again anytime soon," she remarked, and went back to her cup of tea.

**A/N: The last part is a little nod to the limited series "Claws" – a Wolverine/Black Cat team-up which came out in August 2006.**

**Thanks to everyone who came along for the ride!**


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